I Can't See The Image

[Sabahattin Gucukoglu]

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Hi,

I'm trying to use the web-based Send-PR interface which is asking me for 
the text characters corresponding to an image to ensure that I'm not a 
robot.  I am merely inhuman. :-)  I'm totally blind, so can't see your 
image.  I have a completed form here, the contents of which I'll include 
in this email in case this form doesn't make it through submission.  Sorry 
if it looks bad.

In future, could you please find alternative methods for the verification 
step (perhaps a maths problem in text - "What's ten plus seven?", an email 
verification step, ...)?  Also, surely if SendPR is email-based, robots 
already love it and can abuse it (I need to have it to see for myself, 
this bug is about installation of FreeBSD over serial port which, being 
blind, seems to be my only option).

Form contents follow.

Thanks very much in advance for your help.

Cheers,
Sabahattin

   Your Electronic Mail Address:
mail at sabahattin-gucukoglu.com
Your Name:
Sabahattin Gucukoglu
Your Organization or Company:
I Need More Of This
One line summary of the problem:
Unable To Use VT100 Terminal Emulator (TeraTirm Pro) To Install FreeBSD 
5.2RC2 On I386 Over Serial Line  
Category:
misc
Severity:
non-critical
Priority:
medium
Class:
change-request
Which FreeBSD Release You Are Using :
5.2-RC2
Environment (output of "uname -a" on the problem machine):
      N/A
Full Description:
      Using either Hyperterminal or TeraTerm Pro - Windows-based VT100 and 
ANSI terminal
emulators - to follow instructions given in the handbook about installing 
FreeBSD
headless (i.e. over serial line) aren't successful.  In particular, when 
VT100 terminal
is selected for Sysinstall, the pageup/pagedn keys don't work as they are 
advertised,
and the terminal is regularly corrupted - repeated lines, overlapping 
lines, uncleared
screen resulting in bits of text that escaped the previous screen, etc.
I would use the ANSI terminal option for installation, because that would 
give me
only 7-bit plain old ASCII, but that's even more hopeless - down arrow in 
main menu
somehow gets you the "Do you really want to exit" prompt, and the same 
happens when
you pick "FreeBSD System Console".  The selection is made prior to 
entering sysinstall,
by the boot floppies, by typing a number 1-5.
My reasons for doing this are that I am totally blind and, not being able 
to see
the terminal screen, can't do the installation in any other way.  The hope 
was that
if I could get FreeBSD installed with SSHD/TelnetD, the whole issue of 
accessibility
aids would not be a problem - I might install them later if necessary or 
if system
administration somehow became problematic, but at least I could administer 
the system
from more accessible systems.  I could also instruct the bootloader to use 
- -P to
kernel, giving me access through the serial port until those networking 
features
were ready.
How to repeat the problem:
    Connect Windows PC running either of these terminal emulators 
(preferably TeraTerm
Pro as it needs zero extra configuration and which is freely available at 
http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html
) to a candidate box for FreeBSD 5.2-RC2.  Then, follow the handbook 
guidance for
serial installation, and use the Windows PC as "Some sort of 
VT100/compatible terminal".
 The only exception to this - when you first boot the floppy, rather than 
going through
the lengthy bit about disconnecting/reconnecting the keyboard, you could 
just type
"-h" at the bootstrap prompt, press enter, and you'll get stuff spewing on 
the terminal.
 When you are through the kernel decompress/boot, use "VT100/Compatible" 
as the terminal
choice when prompted (it should be option 2).
First, try the usage screen - tap pagedn, which is assigned the VT100 
"Next" key.
 From the main menu, choose Options (try using the cursors, you'll see 
what I mean,
you may see screen corruption, but if not make the selection and then 
cursor around
- - say DHCP.  Tap space to change the flag, and you should now definitely 
see some
terminal corruption.  Also from your encounter with the usage screen or 
other submenus
in this system like the custom install you may be able to see remnents of 
previous
screens.
Fix to the problem if known:
      Q&D Fix recommendation - redraw screen after every single 
dialog/menu.  Ugh...
but necessary.  That's what Debian GNU/Linux does & it works.
Any chance of a completely text-mode (i.e. no pretty graphics) 
installation process
using only prompts for readline input? :-)
Finally, please enter the code from the image below to prove you're not a 
robot:
Argh!  Yet another image verification form!
Random text; if you cannot see the image, please email 
bugbusters at FreeBSD.org
Submit Problem Report
- -- 
Thought for the day:
    Advertising (n): the science of arresting the human
    intelligence for long enough to get money from it.
           -- Stephen Leacock.

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Sabahattin Gucukoglu
Phone: +44 (0)20 7,502-1615
Mobile: +44 (0)7986 053399
http://www.sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/
Email/MSN: <mail at Sabahattin-Gucukoglu.com>


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