easist one ever ... location of fortunes file for xscreensaver

[spooky130u]

This should be the easiest question ever to answer...at least, for those who know where the file is.
Running Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon. I'm just looking for the location (path) for the fortunes file used by
the various xscreensaver apps (e.g., the nose, or is it just nose?). The one installed shows a bunch of perl
stuff ... not interested. I really would like for it to display "normal" fortunes, like I have in a huge fortunes file
that I built decades ago. I installed the fortunes / BOFH excuses pack via "apt install ...." and it's apparently
being ignored.

So, simple question: where is the fortunes file actually located in the filesystem? I just want to replace it (knowing
that I might have to re-format the one I have) to get some more interesting fortunes.

Hmmm...thought I'd made a big typo in the subject ... edit post, no typo. NM.

Thanks,
--jim

[trytip]

one way to see where things are is open synaptic search for your package that you want to know location path for fortune rightclick on it > properties > file info

fortune riddles in terminal will give you riddles

[smurphos]

/usr/share/games/fortunes

Hint - dpkg-query is your friend for this type of question - dpkg-query -L fortunes

[jimallyn]

I used Catfish to search in / for 'fortune' and came up with the same answer.

[gm10]

Fastest way to find a command on your system, will find it instantly as long as it's in the PATH:

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which -a <command>

[spooky130u]

Thanks, everyone. I found all of the files, as indicated, in /usr/share/games/fortune/ ... moved the perl stuff out...Nose seemed to be focusing too hard on that one, and I don't even know perl (not taking that comment any further, even if asked; don't want to start a perl vs [whatever] flame war).

What I'm not sure of anymore is whether or not I can convert the format of the rather large list of fortunes I've collected over the decades into the format used by fortune(6). I'll figure it out one of these days/months....

Thanks!

[lsemmens]

Slightly OT. As a relative newbie to this thing called Linux. Fortunes? Are we talking fortunes, as in fortune cookie? Or is it something more sinister?

[spooky130u]

Fortunes, as in the old standard fortune program often found in /usr/games.

(5:48) % /usr/games/fortune
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and, whatever you hit,
call it the target.
(5:48) % /usr/games/fortune
Of course I can keep secrets. It's the people I tell them to that
can't keep them. -Anthony Haden-Guest
(5:48) % /usr/games/fortune
Every time you manage to close the door on Reality, it comes in through the
window.

And so on.

[smurphos]

Slightly OT. As a relative newbie to this thing called Linux. Fortunes? Are we talking fortunes, as in fortune cookie? Or is it something more sinister?

It's an old linux 'toy' generally used to make the terminal show a random fortune when 1st opened. Often used with another toy - cowsay. I use it to generate random lock screen messages.

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steve@HP-Pavilion-g6-Notebook-PC:~$ fortune
QOTD:
	"The elder gods went to Suggoth and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."
steve@HP-Pavilion-g6-Notebook-PC:~$ cowsay $(fortune)
 _______________________________________
/ Tempt not a desperate man. -- William \
\ Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet"       /
 ---------------------------------------
        \   ^__^
         \  (oo)\_______
            (__)\       )\/\
                ||----w |
                ||     ||

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fortune

[jimallyn]

It's an old linux 'toy'

Predates Linux, actually. First appeared in Unix 7, 1979.

[trytip]

can we just call them "quotes" some famous some not.

[lsemmens]

I'm happy with "Fortunes" just never cam across them before in relation to an Operating System.

[phd21]

Hi spooky130u (Jim),

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

I have always enjoyed having "quotes" (fortunes, fortune cookies, etc..) displayed on my desktop which in Linux has been the "fortunes" packages and the various desklets, widgets, screensavers, wallpaper apps, and other apps to display them. If you search for "fortun" in the "Synaptic Package Manager SPM" you will see various fortune packages including file converters, etc...

These "fortune" quote files can be customized as well (simple text file where the quotes are separated "delimited" by a percent symbol (hex 25) and Line Feed (LF) EOL =End of Line character (hex 0A).

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.
-- Mother Teresa
%
I love how she makes me feel, like anyting is possible, or like life is worth it.
-- 500 days of summer
%
You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality
is finally better than your dreams !
-- Dr. Seuss
%
In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.
-- János Arany

Unfortunately, not all the Linux Mint desktops have good options for displaying these fortune quotes on the desktop. Cinnamon still has a "desklet" fortune quote option that seems to work in all versions (needs more configuration options). KDE used to have an excellent plasma widget for fortunes before Linux Mint 18.x (Ubuntu 16.04), but it has never been updated since (anyone know how to get that working now?). Mate and Xfce have never had a desktop option for this as far as I know.

- There is a "screenlets" quote option too, which I am still trying to figure out how to customize. Works on all editions and versions of Linux Mint.

Screenlets (Desktop Widgets) Fixed For Ubuntu 16.04, Available In PPA or deb file ~ Web Upd8: Ubuntu / Linux blog
http://www.webupd8.org/2017/02/screenle ... d-for.html


- The excellent "variety" wallpaper changer can display fortune quotes and others including custom ones.

(Variety with quotes) How To Automatically Change The Wallpaper On Linux
https://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-li ... -on-linux/

Link to sample format of Variety custom quotes file, right-click the link, "save as".
http://rvelthuis.de/zips/quotes.txt


Regarding "xscreensaver"

XScreenSaver
https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/

** Use your screensaver to display your favorite quotes ! Kwartik's Blog
https://kwartik.wordpress.com/2011/03/3 ... te-quotes/

*** How to Customize the Star Wars Screensaver on Linux - Linux.com
https://www.linux.com/learn/how-customi ... aver-linux

I did a search and replace in a hex text editor (okteta) for "250A" to replace the % and Line Feed EOL character in my custom fortune file with a period and LF character for a custom variety quotes file, but you could do something similar to create a fortune file, look at whatever your current quotes file is using for separating the quotes like a comma and its EOL character(s), and replace with the percent and Line Feed character (0A). MS Windows text files use CR and LF (carriage return (hex 0D) and line feed (hex 0A) whereas Linux uses only LF (0A).

There are simple programs to convert MS Windows/DOS files with "CR/LF" to Linux/Unix with just "LF" and visa-versa in the "Synaptic Package Manager SPM".
cookietool, dos2unix, flip, tofrodos, utrac, etc...

ex: after installing "tofrodos"
To convert a MS Win/DOS file with CR/LF to Linux and remove the CR from a file.

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fromdos -b quotes.txt

To convert a Linux/Unix file to MS Win/DOS and add a CR to a file with only LF.

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todos -b quotes.txt

Hope this helps ...
.

FortuneQuotes_Variety1.jpg

.

FortuneQuotes_Variety2.jpg

.

FortuneQuotes_Variety3sm.jpg

[smurphos]

Unfortunately, not all the Linux Mint desktops have good options for displaying these fortune quotes on the desktop.

I guess setting up a conky to display fortunes would be a good desktop agnostic solution?

[phd21]

Hi spooky130u (Jim), smurphos, etc...

To spooky130u (Jim), which "xscreensaver" screensavers do you use for displaying the fortune quotes?

I found that the "gltext" xscreensaver will work if you change its advanced settings to

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gltext -root -program fortune

You may have to install the xscreensaver application to change its settings and there will be another screensaver option in your menus.

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sudo apt install xscreensaver

- The only thing with using this gltext screensaver, is the quotes can be long and do not fit well on the screen. I do not know how to change the font size or if it is possible using this method? Does anyone know how to do this?

- This "gltext -root -program" option can be used to display from other programs and script files almost any information like system information, temperature, etc...

In the xscreensaver advanced settings, you can just use the program option with fortune in it to display its text for most xscreensavers. You can be more specific "fortune humorists" or if you have your own file ex: "fortune phils"

To smurphos, I guess Conky could be used to display almost anything including fortune quotes. I do not know how to do that, do you?


Hope this helps ...
.

xscreensaver_gltext_fortune_settings1.jpg

.

xscreensaver_gltext_fortune1.jpg

.

xscreensaver_AdvancedTab2.jpg

[smurphos]

I do not know how to do that, do you?

I've not tried it, but I reckon I could work it out. If I get one working I'll share...

[smurphos]

I do not know how to do that, do you?

I've not tried it, but I reckon I could work it out. If I get one working I'll share...

Well that was straightforward. For a 20 second refreshing desktop message......

conky.text = [[${execi 20 fortune}]]

[phd21]

Hi smurphos,

That is cool, but I could not get that to work on my system, perhaps because I do not actually have conky running on my desktop. Exactly how do you add the conky.text line to the system, did you edit or create a conky configuration file? If so, can you provide that file name, its location, and contents?

After messing around with the conky console terminal command, I got this command to work which could be added to a startup or script file. I have not figured out how to choose a font, font size, font color, or transparent background (yet). This command below shows the text in a black box in the top right with white letters. Adding a "-d" puts this conky command in the background and releases the console terminal which can be closed and the fortunes still keep running

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conky --alignment=top_right -b --text='${execi 20 fortune}'

...

Conky_FortuneQuote_Display1.jpg

[smurphos]

Hi smurphos,

That is cool, but I could not get that to work on my system, perhaps because I do not actually have conky running on my desktop. Exactly how do you add the conky.text line to the system, did you edit or create a conky configuration file? If so, can you provide that file name, its location, and contents?

Sorry - yep there is a conky config (see https://github.com/brndnmtthws/conky/wi ... n-Settings) and a job in Startup Applications to start conky using that config. I've just got the config sat in my home folder - it can go anywhere you like, be called anything you like as long as the command to start the conky references it by full path if necessary.

Startup job -

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steve@HP-Pavilion-g6-Notebook-PC:~$ cat ~/.config/autostart/Conky_Fortune.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=\sconky -c .conkyrc_fortune
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
NoDisplay=false
Hidden=false
Name[en_GB]=Conky_Fortune.desktop
Comment[en_GB]=Starts a conky to display fortunes
X-GNOME-Autostart-Delay=20

Conky config -

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steve@HP-Pavilion-g6-Notebook-PC:~$ cat ~/.conkyrc_fortune
conky.config = {
    own_window = true,
    own_window_class = 'Conky',
    own_window_type = 'desktop',
    own_window_transparent = false,
    own_window_argb_visual = true,
    own_window_argb_value = 51,
    own_window_hints = 'below',
    own_window_colour = 'black',
    own_window_title = 'Conky_Fortune',
    double_buffer = true,
    gap_x = 20,
    alignment = 'middle_left',
    use_xft = true,
    font = 'Roboto:size=16',
    xftalpha = 1,
    override_utf8_locale = true,
    draw_shades = false,
    draw_outline = true,
    default_outline_color = 'black',
    uppercase = false,
    default_color = '23b29a',
    draw_borders = false,
    stippled_borders = 0,
    border_inner_margin = 5,
    border_outer_margin = 0,
    border_width = 0,
    draw_graph_borders = false,
    background = false,
    use_spacer = 'left',
    text_buffer_size = 256,
    no_buffers = true,
    update_interval = 10,
}

conky.text = [[
${execi 20 fortune}
]]