Veronica Explains

0 readers
1 users here now

I'm Veronica! I love Linux, old computer hardware, and explaining things. Some folks call me the Linux Mom, and that works for me. I'm a former "legacy systems" sysadmin who's posting fun content about cool things you can do with Linux, as well as some fun retro tech stuff I come across!

founded 2 years ago
1
 
 

A new iPod has entered my life, and I'm excited to start using it with Rhythmbox. But first, I need to clean it up and install this awesome DosLab solid state drive and new Atomic Purple front panel.

Veronica Explains isn't funded by anyone other than you. Monthly supporters on Ko-Fi and Patreon get a weekly newsletter and other fun perks:

Links referenced in the video (no affiliate links):

Chapters: 0:00 I like iPods, maybe you should too 1:27 About this iPod and its future components 5:15 Separating the old iPod front panel from the back case 7:23 Removing the hard drive and front panel from the logic board 10:20 Replacing the broken iPod screen 11:43 Replacing the click wheel 13:54 New front panel! 15:57 Front panel is reassembled, now let's install a battery 17:10 Correctly installing the battery and headphone cable, Incorrectly installing the DosLab drive 18:29 First function test- no good! 19:31 Installing Rhythmbox on Fedora, trying the iPod, failing 20:48 Veronica. Her eyes uncovered! (I fixed the drive) 21:53 Trying (and failing) to initialize the iPod with Rhythmbox on Fedora 22:31 Initializing the iPod with a Windows machine 24:37 Administering the iPod with Rhythmbox on Fedora 26:50 Testing the iPod

2
0
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Yes, there are many ways to install Linux on a Chromebook. In my humble opinion, this is the best way. Maybe you'll like it!

In today's thrilling episode of Veronica Explains, I'll introduce you to the Chrultrabook project, and the process of installing a more vanilla Coreboot on Chromebooks, overwriting the stock firmware, and to paraphrase the Coreboot docs, take the training wheels off of your Chromebook.

Then we'll install lots of Linuxes and a few other things!

Veronica Explains wouldn't be possible without your support. Monthly sustainers get extra perks like a weekly newsletter and a positive community. More perks being added regularly, so come check it out!

Links referenced in my video:

Chapters: 0:00 Why install Linux on a Chromebook? 1:34 Cautions, disclaimers, no warranty, YMMV, etc 2:46 My Linux Chromebook: a Thinkpad C13 Yoga 3:23 Introducing Chrultrabook and the MrChromebox scripts 4:36 Determining your Chromebook architecture with crosh 5:13 Putting your Chromebook in Developer Mode 6:17 ChromeOS' VT-2 terminal vs crosh 7:00 Choosing replacement Chromebook firmware: RW_LEGACY or UEFI Full ROM 8:43 Disabling write protect features on a Chromebook 9:58 Running the MrChromebox firmware utility script 13:20 Installing (almost) every Linux on my modified Chromebook (and a few other OSes) 15:42 The saga of installing Debian on my Chromebook 18:39 The Chrultrabook community: an awesome resource

#Linux #chromeos #chromebook

3
1
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Welcome to another Mint-tastic episode of Veronica Explains!

Today, I'm talking about Linux Mint, and Linux Mint Debian Edition, or LMDE. I used both Linux Mint versions for the last few weeks on my everyday laptop. Both are great, for sure. So why is LMDE positioned as an "alternative" to the Ubuntu-based "flagship" edition in the first place?

Let's talk about how these two distros work, and I'll share my thoughts.

Links you might like (not affiliate links or anything like that, I just think they're neat):

And lastly, my self promotion, which pays the bills for Veronica Explains:

Chapters: 0:00 I say "greetings" and introduce today's Minty Madness 1:20 What's LMDE about, anyway? 3:51 Why make a Linux Mint Debian Edition in the first place? 4:56 Mint vs LMDE- head to head 8:25 Veronica "games" 9:19 I just think LMDE is neat 15:45 What I'm watching- Lon.tv talking about PeerTube!

#linux #linuxmint #debian

4
1
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

OpenSSH's ssh-keygen command just got a great upgrade.

In today's episode, I cover how Ed25519 keys are now the default, and how it probably doesn't impact your workflow. I'll briefly cover how the whole thing works, in an under 10 minute video. As per the custom in these parts, there's a few vintage computing goodies peppered throughout the episode.

๐Ÿซถ Support (how this channel makes money) ๐Ÿซถ

This episode of Veronica Explains isn't sponsored by anyone other than you. Your support makes this show possible, and I appreciate your consideration. Supporters at the $2/mo level get a weekly newsletter from me.

https://patreon.com/VeronicaExplains https://ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains

You can also buy nerdy shirts from my web store (it's not sponsorship, I literally host and maintain the web store myself, and my family designs the merch): https://vkc.sh/merch.

๐Ÿคฉ What I'm Watching! ๐Ÿคฉ

Macintosh Librarian put out a great video about a Power Computing Macintosh clone recently that really caught my eye. I find the history of Apple, and Apple-adjacent technology fascinating, and if that's something you're into as well, Macintosh Librarian is worth your attention.

Her recent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK-BkdnEF-8 Her channel (which you should subscribe to): https://youtube.com/MacintoshLibrarian

๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Commands used during the making of this video ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ ssh-keygen by itself: creates a default key in the default location (usually the .ssh folder inside the home directory).

With options, it gets more features. The -t option specifies the key type: -- ssh-keygen -t rsa generates an rsa key -- ssh-keygen -t ed25519 generates an ed25519 key

You'll see me combine this with the -f option to specify the output file(s). So ssh-keygen -f .ssh/testkeylmde -t ed25519 would create a key pair in the .ssh folder with the filename "testkeylmde" (and "testkeylmde.pub" for the public file).

You can then use ssh-copy-id to transfer and set up the public keyfile on a server, so that your private key will work with it:

ssh-copy-id -i [path-to-public-key] [user][at][server]

As I mentioned a few times, I have a more thorough OpenSSH video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FKsdbjzBcc

And for further reading about cryptography in general, here's some Wikipedia I referenced in the video:

๐Ÿ“– Chapters ๐Ÿ“– 0:00 News about OpenSSH! 1:48 The basics of OpenSSH and ssh-keygen 4:27 How does this change impact you? 7:34 Now's a good time to prune your keys 9:04 What I'm Watching: Macintosh Librarian

5
1
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Ever want to eject a flash drive but you can't because the device claims that it's "busy"?

In today's Lil' Linux Lesson, we dive into the fuser command! The fuser command is one of those Linux utilities that you don't realize you need, but once you learn it, you'll find you're using it all of the time.

My channel's not sponsored by anyone other than you. To help me keep it that way, please support if you can. Thank you so much!

๐Ÿ–– Support the channel: https://patreon.com/VeronicaExplains โ˜• ...or via Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains ๐Ÿ‘• ...or buy a shirt from my website: https://vkc.sh/merch

๐Ÿ“‘ Common UNIX Specification: https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009639599/toc.pdf ๐Ÿ“บ The recent @LearnLinuxTV video on the lsof command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9nZ1ellaV0

Chapters and such: 0:00 What is the fuser command? 1:07 Examples of the fuser command 1:46 Basic usage of fuser in Linux 2:58 Using the info from the fuser command 4:15 Working with mount points or block devices with fuser 4:51 Working with TCP ports with fuser 5:46 Learning more about fuser (and about Linux) 6:20 "What I'm Watching": LearnLinuxTV's lsof video

6
 
 

You asked for it, you got it. Here's what I think of Red Hat.

Sorry this video took a bit longer than I'd like, since I'm working on finishing my basement (future recording space) at the moment.

Anyway, I'm not planning on dwelling much on Red Hat beyond this- my plan is to move forward with community-driven distros in mind, and recommend those to customers in the months and years ahead. I hope Red Hat gets to a good place again. We'll see.

Supporters make this possible. Seriously, nobody's sponsoring this video except you!

Important Red Hat links referenced in today's video:

Other important links referenced in the video:

#linux #opensource #redhat

Chapters: 0:00 Brought to you by corporate greed 1:02 #YARDE (Yet Another RHEL Drama Explanation) 3:08 Scars from CentOS 5:08 So what's next? 6:48 Why am I going all in on Debian? 8:11 The "culture" is the culprit 9:43 What about Pop!_OS? 11:13 Don't tell me what to do, Veronica

7
 
 

My channel's not sponsored by anyone other than you. To help me keep it that way, please support if you can. Thank you so much!

https://patreon.com/VeronicaExplains https://ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains


In today's very fun and very improvised video, I'm going to install GrapheneOS on a brand new Pixel 7. I haven't changed an OS on an Android phone in years, so this will be exciting. And messy!

Resources (these are not affiliate links): ๐Ÿ“– Companion blog post: https://vkc.sh/how-i-use-a-smartphone/ ๐Ÿ“ฑ GrapheneOS website: https://grapheneOS.org ๐Ÿค– F-Droid project: https://f-droid.org/ ๐ŸŒƒ AuroraOSS website I visited briefly, I hope it's legit: https://auroraoss.com/

I also reference two videos from other YouTubers: I have not watched these in their entirety and am merely providing these as information which you may want to consider (I am not endorsing any views here): Louis Rossmann video referenced: โ€ข Why I deleted Gra...
Techlore video referenced: โ€ข GrapheneOS: Docum...

Chapters 'n' stuff: 0:00 This is not a GrapheneOS tutorial 0:51 What is GrapheneOS 2:47 Pixel 7 unboxing 3:51 Starting to install GrapheneOS but oops I need to update first 6:13 Actually installing GrapheneOS 11:46 Booting GrapheneOS for the first time 13:36 The great "app installation" saga of 2023 20:30 Should I use the Aurora Store, maybe? 23:30 Immediate conclusions about the initial install and configuration 25:03 Conclusions after a few weeks with GrapheneOS

8
1
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

This is an "update" video- letting folks know where I've been the last few weeks, what I'm busy with, and what's coming next for the channel.

I included a silly description for YouTube, since I figured nobody reads them over there. Turns out I was a bit wrong, so I'll include it here for you all to enjoy.

YouTube description below:

To quote the wise old Bender B. Rodriguez- I'm back, baby!

This is my first video back after a few weeks away. What have I been up to and what's next? Watch the video to find out? Or just skip around to the chapters... whatever. You know what you want, you're YouTube viewers.

I appreciate each of you for watching my videos. Do any of you even read video descriptions? I bet most folks don't. I mean, honestly, I get it. So many YouTube video descriptions are basically nothing but affiliate links at this point. What's up with that, anyway? Maybe if YouTube funded us better we'd feel inclined to, you know, not do that? At the same time, what is this rampant consumerism doing to the "vibe" for YouTubers? Particularly with the coming rise of AI, how likely is it that in the next few years, most YouTubers will be reading AI-written scripts with AI-written ad-reads and AI-derived shopping lists for you all to follow. I have some serious concerns that the zeitgeist will be impacted. Shoot, the upload is almost done.

Speaking of consumerism run amok, I suppose I have an obligation to share my support links. You can find the direct links at https://support.linux.mom, which contains an up-to-date list. At the moment, I've just launched a Ko-Fi as well: https://ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains. There's other places too, but let's be honest, I'm just hoping someone actually read this far.

Tell you what, if you read this far into this description, go ahead and leave me a comment with "I understand". That way I'll know this was worth it.

Ack! I almost forgot the damn chapters and hashtags- do they even do anything anyway?

00:00 Should I even call it an introduction? Does it matter? 01:04 It's my basement! 02:45 Madness takes its toll... retro madness. 03:44 Supporter-only livestreams as a thank you for my supporters

#linux #vintagecomputing #CeciNestPasUneHashtag

9
1
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Greetings! This week's "Word of the Week" is "Distro".

What is a distro? Why do Linux people keep talking about it? Is there a "best distro"? The answer to the last question is "no".

I had a discussion about this on my last livestream, which you can check out here: https://youtube.com/live/mt0MFQ_GUaM

You can also check it out in Podcast form (basically the same as the above link but as a Podcast) at https://vkc.sh.

10
 
 

Is Debian for you? Maybe!

In today's Sidtastic episode of Veronica Explains, I dive into Debian, the 30-year-old ancestor of Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, and so many other Linux distros. We'll also talk about why this Linux distribution so well loved after so long, and who could benefit from using it. Maybe even... you?

If you want to help me make more videos, please visit https://support.linux.mom. You can also buy my t-shirt at https://vkc.sh/merch. Either way helps support the channel! Thank you!

0:00 Is Debian old and boring? 0:41 Debian turns 30 this year... 1:25 How does Debian update? 3:21 Flathub is your friend! 4:09 Apt is power - pinning and backporting! 5:07 Sid, btw - Debian's unstable branch! 7:21 So... who is Debian for? 8:25 Ask Veronica - what distro do you use on web servers?

11
1
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

In today's episode, I talk about why I just quit my job as a system administrator and COBOL developer.

It's OK to be ready for change.

If you want to help me make that change, please join me on Patreon or Ko-Fi. Members get a weekly newsletter, occasional member-only livestreams, and other ways to connect with a positive community.

https://patreon.com/VeronicaExplains https://ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains

Also, I used a picture of Miss Frizzle from Magic School Bus, which is owned by Scholastic. I also used a photo of Bill Nye that was posted on his website. Neither endorsed this video nor were consulted.

Chapters: 0:00 I quit 0:43 Career background 1:35 Realizations 3:53 Is COBOL OK? 4:46 What's next for the channel?

#career #technology #linux