tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50683365613321158782024-03-13T06:25:14.648-07:00Serious SoftwareI needed a new place to park some ruminations on the information technology industry and software engineering in particular and I like this format a great deal. <p></p>
I also want to document as many Ubuntu best practices as I can. I use the acronym UBP to indicate an Ubuntu best practice that I've discovered along the way.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-39927817794386450562023-06-03T21:40:00.001-07:002023-06-03T21:40:43.282-07:00Mojo<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pdJQ8iVTwj8" width="320" youtube-src-id="pdJQ8iVTwj8"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-34385111938475052962014-05-22T19:38:00.000-07:002014-05-22T19:38:18.498-07:00Setting Up a Droplet on Digital OceanThe next order of business after securing a Domain Name was to set up a virtual machine or Droplet as its called in <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=c011b1d50e14">Digital Ocean</a>.<br />
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After checking out numerous options in the application tab, I created a MEAN instrumented Ubuntu instance. This is very straightforward and just following the directions at Digital Ocean the process is painless.<br />
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The hostname is anything you choose, say; Test1.<br />
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The trickier part is to establish the DNS mapping. In the DNS tab I created a new record called test that was mapped to the digital ocean droplet's ip.<br />
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A few hours later it pinged fine.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-60423845087395283452014-05-22T13:41:00.001-07:002014-05-22T13:41:16.606-07:00Getting the Domain NameI've decided to stand up a virtual machine out on <a href="http://digitalocean.com/">Digital Ocean</a>, a New York based cloud provider.<br />
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My first step was to get a domain name and I decided to buy it at <a href="http://namecheap.com/">NameCheap</a>.<br />
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Having decided on a name and finding it wasn't taken, I needed to point that domain to Digital Ocean like so;<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6NAQ8TmfDg/U35fx7QHHfI/AAAAAAAALUw/8WiQhsc38j4/s1600/NameCheap1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6NAQ8TmfDg/U35fx7QHHfI/AAAAAAAALUw/8WiQhsc38j4/s1600/NameCheap1.png" height="222" width="400" /></a></div>
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So far so good.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-31531786468339863442012-06-02T09:05:00.004-07:002012-06-02T09:05:46.641-07:00Free DNS providers<a href="http://freedns.afraid.org/">Afraid</a>Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-21234831900248747772012-06-02T08:05:00.002-07:002012-06-02T08:05:47.590-07:00On Tasks that Require Higher SkillsHere's a quote that I liked and needed to store somewhere:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The less skilled guys wait for the better skilled guy to get frustrated and quit so they can do what they always wanted to do anyway. This happens a lot."</blockquote>
- Billy Newport, Distinguished Engineer, IBMFrank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-48726493017140757112011-05-15T21:10:00.000-07:002011-05-15T21:10:21.767-07:00Synology NAS Observations - UbuntuI'm currently setting up a Synology dual disk NAS unit.<br />
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Synology comes with a client application called Synology Assistant that connects the NAS server to your machine so that it can be accessed using a web administration application (webman).<br />
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Webman allows you to upload files from your computer to a number of reserved directories; music, pictures, and video. I uploaded my pictures first and that went well-enough.<br />
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But when I uploaded music files to the NAS, things started getting flaky. One problem is that I have a machine with an IDE primary drive and filesystem. My music directory is on the secondary SATA drive not on the primary. Using Firefox 4.0.1, the webman interface refuses to recognize the SATA drive.<br />
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So I moved some files to a directory on the IDE drive just to test the critter. Sure enough I could upload music files to the NAS 'music' directory. But just about any interruption of the upload process such as switching tabs would cause a browser crash.<br />
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I decided to create a Symlink to the SATA music directory on the IDE drive. Firefox refused to acknowledge it.<br />
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So I tried Google Chrome. Chrome not only recognised the symlink but crashed far less frequently.<br />
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Then a funny thing happened. Webman refused to open the music directory on the NAS. I got 'Failed Operation' messages. Oddly enough, I could create a sub-directory under music to upload music files to but the music directory looked empty otherwise. I'm still trying to unravel this mystery.<br />
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However, I tried to get to the NAS from my Android Thunderbolt phone. The default Android browser failed to connect to the NAS server. I tried the Firefox browser and it worked fine. Not only that, when I accessed the music directory Firefox revealed the missing music files on the music directory. Very strange behavior. Webman appears to be buggy.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-87702094557290860452011-03-26T08:34:00.000-07:002011-03-26T08:34:58.938-07:00Lotus Notes Webmail on an Android DeviceMy Android device is the newly released HTC Thunderbolt model. I've had it for about a week and I wanted to know whether or not I could get to my business webmail running off of Lotus Notes using the Android.<br />
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I have two browsers on my phone. One is the default and the other is the freely downloadable Dolphin browser. The difference in the two is that the Dolphin pushes out some commercial info bars. A nuisance but not painful.<br />
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I sat with the Lotus administrator at work and he directed me to the webmail url that the company uses. The first attempt resulted in Lotus opening up into its PC screen mode - wholly untenable on the Thunderbolt.<br />
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So the administrator found an "ultralight" skin setting for webmail. He enabled it on my account and we tried again. This time we got a beautiful mobile device skin that worked flawlessly on both devices. I could open the webmail listings, click on them, and read the content. So far so good.<br />
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Next I tested webmail attachments. I created three documents. One .txt. Another .rtf. and the last a .docx document.<br />
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Both browsers opened the .txt document without a problem.<br />
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The default android browser on the Thunderbolt locked up at a screen that said it needed to downlod the .rtf and docx documents. It just hung.<br />
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On the other hand the Dolphin browser downloads the .rtf and docx documents and opened them without incident.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-21836060412824933192011-03-25T22:24:00.000-07:002011-05-15T21:14:45.906-07:00Thunderbolt Smartphone Battery LifeLast week I switched out my old phone for the HTC Thunderbolt. I had planned on waiting for the Bionic but quite frankly I was tired of waiting and I'm fairly convinced some other model would be even more compelling (with more waiting).<br />
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And the only trepidation I had about the purchase were the pernicious rumors that the battery would be problematic. And by problematic I mean to say that the battery would quickly exhaust itself.<br />
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So one of the first things I did was fully charge the battery before using the phone. And after a few days of use, I conducted an experiment to see how long it would take to exhaust the battery under normal conditions for me (phone calls, occasional surfing, and poking around on the internet).<br />
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I took the phone off the charger at about 7 a.m. on Wednesday and left it on continuously - using it as I normally would. On Thursday evening, after about 40 hours of use the phone displayed the message that it needed recharging because the battery was 15% or below charge capacity.<br />
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At the office this raised a few questions. First it was observed that the phone was using 3G, not 4G. And speculation mounted that maybe the 4G components would drain the battery faster and less efficiently. This remains an open question.<br />
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The phone in 3G operational mode is extremely fast and impressive.<br />
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Update: I took my phone to New York City for a weekend recently and the battery under a heavier urban load lasted from morning till late evening before needing recharging and after a short night's charge only lasted til mid-afternoon the next day before needing recharging.<br />
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Once home and with a full charging cycle the phone is once again lasting lasting well into a second day.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-46055791532536626802009-12-06T22:27:00.000-08:002009-12-24T17:31:09.054-08:00Grub2 - Dual Boot, SATA Drive Problems<span style="font-weight:bold;">Update<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> Dec. 15, 2009<br /><br />A recent update has once again hosed Grub. The system only comes up in "rescue" mode which is like telling a user to "Go Fish".<br /><br />Super Grub will boot Ubuntu but the Windows partition is unrecognized. Supergrub will work sporadically so you have to reboot numerous times to get a menu.<br /><br />IMO, its too early to move to Grub 2 unless you have a very vanilla setup.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dec. 23 Update</span><br /><br />I tried in vain to correct the problems I was having with Grub 2 and repeatedly failed. What I became good at though was recovering using the Supergrub disk.<br /><br />The final solution that worked was to uninstall Grub2 and then reinstall it, trying only one boot device at a time.<br /><br />In my case the first boot device failed to work so I uninstalled Grub 2, reinstalled it and tried again. The second boot device worked fine.<br /><br />Needless to say Grub 2 is an adventure.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DEC. 7, 2009 - Original instructions.</span><br /><br />I'm guessing that for many users who have a straightforward single boot Ubuntu system the upgrade from Grub 1.<span style="font-style:italic;">whatever</span> is probably fairly easy.<br /><br />I run a dual boot, fairly heavy duty machine at home that was hand built. About a year ago I updated the motherboard from an AMD to a P5Q Intel board and outfitted it with a brand new SATA drive.<br /><br />In order to boot the machine, I found myself having to use the older Maxtor XP drive as the boot drive partitioned awkwardly for Ubuntu and Grub. The SATA drive just gives me huge disk space.<br /><br />So in reading a recent article about the release of a new, improved grub implementation, I <span style="font-weight:bold;">foolishly decided to perform the upgrade procedure as described in an optimistic article [DON'T DO THIS!]</span>:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">sudo aptitude install grub-pc<br />Chainload from menu.lst? <span style="font-weight:bold;"><-- Yes</span><br />Linux Command line: <--<span style="font-weight:bold;">enter</span><br /><br />Next enter:<br /><br />sudo upgrade-from-grub-legacy<br /><br />Here you'll be confronted with a series of questions about which boot device to use.<br /><br />I simply keyed <span style="font-weight:bold;">enter</span> and nothing seemed to happen so I tried a few keys that I thought would work and finally got the program to end.<br /><br />In rebooting the machine I was confronted with a Grub Error 11: Unrecognized device string<br /><br />I fixed the Error 11 problem to be confronted with an Error 15 problem.<br /><br />I fixed the error 15 problem and wound up with a grub command line terminal that seemed to refuse grub commands.<br /><br />It took me two (busy) days to recover.<br /></span></blockquote><br /><br />First the official instructions can be found at the <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2">Ubuntu wiki</a>. These are worth reading before following anyone else's advice. But even these instructions have their blind spots.<br /><br />And speaking of blind spots there are a half dozen recovery instructions that are equally lame and misleading.<br /><br />What follows are instructions that I hope are both comprehensive and accurate for most complex dual-boot environments and a series of fixes for those of you caught in the errors.<br /><br /><hr/><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bios Setup Preliminaries (may be unnecessary for very vanilla machines):</span><br /><br />For users with more than one hard drive, you will need to know which hard drive is used to initially boot the machine.<br /><br />Secondly, you'll need to know if the boot sequence recognizes all the drives. In the case of my SATA drive, it showed up in the bios setup as a drive but was not recognized as a boot device.<br /><br />This information can be found in the bios setup when you restart the machine (check your motherboard documentation).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">If you are already in a GRUB2 error mode, be sure the boot sequence has a CD or DVD or USB bootable device preceding your primary boot drive.</span><br /><br />If your machine has a secondary hard drive that does not show up as a bootable device option in bios, shut off the machine, disconnect the power, wait till the motherboard is wholly powered down, and carefully disconnect that drive [this is temporary]. Since the SATA drive isn't recognized by GRUB at boot time, it cannot be allowed to be a factor in our debugging or corrective action process.<br /><br /><hr/><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pre-installation Backup Preliminaries:</span><br /><br />Before trying to install GRUB2, navigate to the boot disk's boot folder and copy everything in it to a finger drive or removable media. this can prove to be a system saver later.<br /><br /><hr/><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Installation Instructions and a WTF Rant:</span><br /><br />First open a command terminal and run; <span style="font-weight:bold;">sudo os-prober</span>. This will identify the /dev/sd<span style="font-style:italic;">xx</span> boot device. For example Ubuntu might be on <span style="font-weight:bold;">/dev/sda0</span>. This will later show up in the update grub command sequence.<br /><br />BTW: the results of this command can differ if the secondary SATA drive is connected. It can add irrelevant and inaccurate results.<br /><br />As I said before, the most accurate <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2">GRUB2 installation instructions are here.</a> And while the instructions are accurate, they describe a procedure that is decidedly user unfriendly and perilous.<br /><br />The "sudo apt-get install grub2" instructions are intuitive and work fine. However it is the "sudo upgrade-from-grub-legacy" process that defies any sensible logic. The documentation warns;<blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">NB! You have to use the spacebar to mark the choice here. DO NOT go on without doing this. It WILL result in your system showing error 15 and being unable to even show a boot menu. If you are running a dual boot system with WindowsXP or Vista, you might have to do additional fixes after upgrading to get it to work.<br /><br />If this has already happened to you you can fix this by following the directions in the Error 15 section on this page. </span></blockquote><br />So let me get this straight. If for some reason I am not privy to this warning, the program goes right ahead and hoses me! Unbelievable!<br /><br />When the user is actually running this command, nowhere does the stone age program provide this warning nor any instruction of how to make it work! So as a user, if I just hit the enter key assuming the default drive or drives are chosen, I'm not only wrong but thrown into a state of machine anarchy and personal chaos.<br /><br />The interface used for the GRUB2 activation is entirely unjustifiable. First, if a primitive interface is really necessary, then it should tell the user to use the space bar to pick a boot device [the sd<span style="font-style:italic;">x</span> device os-prober identified]. Secondly, if a device IS NOT CHOSEN then back out gracefully, offer the user a second chance, or simply rename the grub.cfg file to something else so the the user is not thrown into the error abyss.<br /><br /><hr/><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Climbing out of the GRUB2 error abyss:</span><br /><br />A user who tries upgrading to GRUB2 and gets thrown into a non-bootable machine state has a number of remedies. Booting from an Ubuntu install disk will get you back into the machine to poke around. If the disk and directories are still intact then restoring the /boot/ backup material is something that will restore you to your original state.<br /><br />If you've no backup and gotten lost in corrective actions that don't work, you can burn an iso cd of a program called <a href="http://www.supergrubdisk.org/index.php?pid=5">SuperGrub from here</a>.<br /><br />Rebooting using SuperGrub can restore your system so that you can go back into the /boot/grub directory and attempt fixing the appropriate files as documented on the <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Grub2#Errors">Ubuntu wiki</a>.<br /><br /><hr/><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Making the system whole after correction</span><br /><br />Shut off the machine. Disconnect the power. Reconnect any disconnected drives.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-17661981678324939082009-07-15T20:43:00.000-07:002009-09-16T14:35:56.184-07:00Updating Ubuntu on a Dell Inspirion 1010I bought my son a Dell Inspirion 1010 Netbook and both the machine and Ubuntu have been for the most part great.<br /><br />I had to clean out a series of Yahoo bloatware programs and I'll write a post soon about building out an Ubuntu installation for a college student.<br /><br />One glitch I did encounter was that the update manager refused to complete because it encountered an error (<span style="font-weight:bold;">System -> Administration -> Update Manager</span>).<br /><br />After a very responsive call to Dell I was told to open a terminal window and enter:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">sudo dpkg --configure -a</span><br /></blockquote><br /><br />Once the system was reconfigured by this command, Update Manager worked just fine.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-12656782304692795222009-07-15T19:19:00.000-07:002009-07-15T20:05:17.192-07:00Development on Ubuntu: GWT on NetBeans on JauntyMy goal is to get a decent Google Web Toolkit (GWT) development environment installed on Jaunty and I played around a bit with this over the past few days. Although Eclipse is a fine IDE, it is a bit kludgey on Ubuntu and GWT was a bit of a headache.<br /><br />Secondly, I didn't like GWT being that tightly bundled. While working at General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, I got to use NetBeans more intimately than ever before and found that I liked it as a lighter weight alternative to Eclipse. In fact, for many things, NetBeans was just a cleaner IDE.<br /><br />And that's what I've found out on Ubuntu as well. Eclipse and GWT are still a bit awkward but GWT on NetBeans 6.7 at first glance is cleaner and gives GWT an autonomous separation than Eclipse while still offering a nice seamlessly integrated IDE.<br /><br />So let's roll with that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <a href="http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html">Get Netbeans from the SUN site.</a> You can get it via Synaptic but we want the latest and we want the Java/Glassfish (2.x) bundle that also includes Apache Tomcat.<br /><br />Glassfish is a reference server worth running as we develop. (At this writing) Included in this bundle is the Prelude Glashfish v.3. We'll not mess with this at all for the time being so you can ignore it and avoid downloading it if possible.<br /><br />Unbundle all of this in your home directory or whatever your using as a development sandbox.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.)</span> <a href="http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/download.html">Let's grab GWT 1.x from the Google site as well</a>. GWT does not currently show up in the Synaptic Package Manager.<br /><br />Now with something like GWT, a best practice that I try to exercise with frameworks, utilities and odd tools is to create a directory at my home directory called <span style="font-weight:bold;">3rdPartyTools</span>. It creates a one-stop location for certain jar files, libraries, or points of interest.<br /><br />Conceptually it becomes a handy junk drawer.<br /><br />Unbundle GWT there.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> In Netbeans, we need to set up GWT.<br /><br />Open NetBeans. Go to the Main Menu, click Tools -> Plugins -> and check Java ME, Java SE, Groovy, User Installed Plugins, Base IDE, and Java Web and EE plug-ins <span style="font-style:italic;">as a minimum</span>.<br /><br />Install whatever else you may want.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sl6XMkzKaaI/AAAAAAAAAV8/rTS71DXTqv0/s1600-h/Screenshot-Plugins.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sl6XMkzKaaI/AAAAAAAAAV8/rTS71DXTqv0/s400/Screenshot-Plugins.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358886848909961634" /></a>Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-52608730715951445542009-07-10T10:53:00.000-07:002009-07-10T11:47:08.610-07:00Getting a KPIG Radio Stream to work in Firefox on UbuntuAny software engineer worth his or her salt needs to occasionally give KPIG radio a listen.<br /><br />Trouble is that clicking on <span style="font-style:italic;">Listen to Stream</span> from http://www.kpig.com produces a pop-up player that can't find the proper plug-in. The issue seems to be that a mmsh (microsoft media server) protocol service is missing.<br /><br />This is easily resolved by opening a terminal window and getting the vlc firefox plug-in that enables the player.<br /><br />From the Main Menu panel -> Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">sudo apt-get install vlc mozilla-plugin-vlc</span></blockquote><br /><br />You may not even need to restart Firefox. The plug-in will work although you may get a confusing player message: <span style="font-style:italic;">Waiting for video</span>.<br /><br />This is just a harmless message. The audio plays brilliantly.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-48550787159901543062009-07-04T20:01:00.000-07:002009-07-04T22:38:20.812-07:00Ubuntu Apps: Firefox on SteroidsFirefox as it is installed out of the box with Jaunty Jakalope is an anemic instantiation of what we have come to expect from it.<br /><br />We're going to fix that right now for 64-bit machines. We're going to install the 64-bit version of Adobe's Flash plug-in. This will resolve a number of festering issues that used to plague Firefox on Ubuntu.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <a href="http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-to-Install-Adobe-Flash-Player-64-bit-on-Ubuntu-8-10-98076.shtml">Download the Alpha 64-bit version of the Adobe Flash Player from Softpedia</a>. Ignore the instructions found there. We'll give a hat tip to <a href="http://news.softpedia.com/editors/browse/marius-nestor">Marius Nestor</a>, the Linux editor at Softpedia for guidance but the instructions there are slightly dated.<br /><br />First you'll click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Download</span> here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAjZad7K8I/AAAAAAAAAU0/L-qvjrbYrA4/s1600-h/Screenshot.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAjZad7K8I/AAAAAAAAAU0/L-qvjrbYrA4/s400/Screenshot.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354818876452056002" /></a><br /><br />That will take you to a redundant page giving you the ability to finally download the tar file (more or less a zip file). Click Download here as well. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAg-ww_AkI/AAAAAAAAAUs/nqjXQGFfSkI/s1600-h/Screenshot-1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAg-ww_AkI/AAAAAAAAAUs/nqjXQGFfSkI/s400/Screenshot-1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354816219557855810" /></a><br /><br />When you're asked what to do with the file, open it with Archive Manager. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAqKiia14I/AAAAAAAAAVE/3B8oPKn_Xfc/s1600-h/Screenshot-libflashplayer-10.0.22.87.linux-x86_64.so.tar.gz+.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 208px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAqKiia14I/AAAAAAAAAVE/3B8oPKn_Xfc/s400/Screenshot-libflashplayer-10.0.22.87.linux-x86_64.so.tar.gz+.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354826317501749122" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.)</span> Let's extract this file to the .mozilla directory under our home directory like so:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAmE38LfCI/AAAAAAAAAU8/eXhYhY5TTVs/s1600-h/Screenshot-.mozilla+-+File+Browser.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAmE38LfCI/AAAAAAAAAU8/eXhYhY5TTVs/s400/Screenshot-.mozilla+-+File+Browser.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354821822121212962" /></a><br /><br />Your directory probably won't (and shouldn't) have the Firefox 3.5 directory in it. You may, however, have a <span style="font-weight:bold;">plugins</span> directory.<br /><br />Close the Archive Manager.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> We have to get rid of the existing Adobe Flash solution. From the Ubuntu <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu</span> panel click <span style="font-weight:bold;">System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager</span>. You'll need to supply your root password.<br /><br />In the Quick Search locate 'nsplugin'. This will find <span style="font-style:italic;">nspluginwrapper</span>, the plugin solution we're replacing.<br /><br />Click the checkbox next to nspluginwrapper and mark it for complete removal. Click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Apply</span> button and its gone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAv5joVj2I/AAAAAAAAAVM/spnZ0Dcsg_o/s1600-h/Screenshot-Synaptic+Package+Manager+.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 158px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlAv5joVj2I/AAAAAAAAAVM/spnZ0Dcsg_o/s400/Screenshot-Synaptic+Package+Manager+.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354832622806994786" /></a><br /><br />Step 4.) Install the new stuff. From the Ubuntiu <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu</span> panel, click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Places -> Home Folder</span>. In the Home Folder click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">View Menu</span> item and click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Show Hidden Files</span>.<br /><br />Open the .mozilla folder. If there is no plugins directory, create it (all lower case letters).<br /><br />Then drag and drop libflashplayer.so there from the .mozilla directory.<br /><br />Restart Firefox. Take the browser for a test drive of video intensive sites.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br />Assuming you're successful and happy with that upgrade, how about adding a video player to Firefox, say something that plays YouTube videos from a playlist seamlessly in Firefox while you use Firefox for browsing as well?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <a href="http://www.greezmo.com/">Go to the Greezmo website</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA2tL59sOI/AAAAAAAAAVU/Znc5UwlYdRQ/s1600-h/Screenshot-Greezmo+::+Add-ons+for+Firefox+-+Mozilla+Firefox.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA2tL59sOI/AAAAAAAAAVU/Znc5UwlYdRQ/s400/Screenshot-Greezmo+::+Add-ons+for+Firefox+-+Mozilla+Firefox.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354840106861441250" /></a><br /><br />You'll need to agree to install the experimental version of this application before it let's you download it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA4NM9i6jI/AAAAAAAAAVc/iU-l5H6YX3c/s1600-h/Screenshot-Software+Installation.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA4NM9i6jI/AAAAAAAAAVc/iU-l5H6YX3c/s400/Screenshot-Software+Installation.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354841756412340786" /></a><br /><br />If you agree, then download it.<br /><br />Step 2.) Greezmo requires one last approval because it is currently unsigned. Once you give it Restart Firefox.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA5CkNXfdI/AAAAAAAAAVk/f1BBxeTRQu0/s1600-h/Screenshot-Add-ons.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 158px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA5CkNXfdI/AAAAAAAAAVk/f1BBxeTRQu0/s400/Screenshot-Add-ons.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354842673185783250" /></a><br /><br />Step 3.) Greezmo installs in the lower right-hand corner of Firefox.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA5yk5JmcI/AAAAAAAAAVs/-Yv8ZLCL20E/s1600-h/Screenshot-Mozilla+Firefox.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA5yk5JmcI/AAAAAAAAAVs/-Yv8ZLCL20E/s400/Screenshot-Mozilla+Firefox.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354843498003143106" /></a><br /><br />By moving your mouse over the Greezmo icons, you can find and open the 'Manager Panel' that creates a frame along the lower part of Firefox like so:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA6_x-WsCI/AAAAAAAAAV0/Tq32UvlB-fA/s1600-h/Screenshot-Mozilla+Firefox-1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/SlA6_x-WsCI/AAAAAAAAAV0/Tq32UvlB-fA/s400/Screenshot-Mozilla+Firefox-1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354844824364560418" /></a><br /><br />The left panel of Greezmo allows you to specify an artist to find and delivers all their videos there. Dragging and dropping into the right panel adds the video to the playlist.<br /><br />You can open a video pop-up to entertain you while you work or study. The playlists are controlled by a timer and the Greezmo frames can be later minimized in Firefox.<br /><br />An elegant and beatifully executed Firefox add-on!Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-52772777629872909572009-07-04T10:21:00.000-07:002009-07-04T11:47:08.536-07:00Ubuntu Crisis: Recovering From the UnthinkableIn the wee hours of last night I was trying to resolve a particularly tricky issue. So in browsing around I found a poster who sounded like he or she knew what they were doing (and this is after I tried a half dozen other prescriptions to resolve the problem).<br /><br />So I changed a system file, thinking it was no big deal. The problem I was encountering didn't get resolved so I did what is always a last resort and that is, I restarted the system.<br /><br />My heart dropped when the system arrived at the login and decided to throw an error message. The system just froze. Sometimes completely shutting down the system and rebooting resolves the issue.<br /><br />No luck. Disaster. I was locked out of Gnome and therefore locked out of Ubuntu!<br /><br />But my boot loader is grub (<span style="font-style:italic;">and this may apply to other bootloaders as well</span>) and like a Windows system grub comes up with a number of booting options, the second one on the list being to load in <span style="font-style:italic;">safe</span> mode.<br /><br />So choosing <span style="font-weight:bold;">safe mode </span>then offers another set of menu items, the last (on my system) being to start in <span style="font-weight:bold;">Root</span> command line mode. <br /><br />Before we go too far let's just enumerate <span style="font-weight:bold;">how to recover from a crisis</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> Whenever changing a protected file or files, write down on a slip of paper what you've changed. Too often, users assume that because an editor remembers the last files changed that the editor will always be there! That becomes a real problem when the system dies and you have no tangible <span style="font-style:italic;">breadcrumbs</span> to return by.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.)</span> Try rebooting and restarting the machine assuming you don't have hardware issues in play (bad motherboard or snap-in components going bad). Maybe this resolves your issue.<br /><br />If not continue.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> Reboot the machine and when you encounter the grub menu of loading options, load using safe mode. Usually this is one menu item below your normal booting choice.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 4.)</span> From the safe mode menu, choose to login using the command line. This is a choice that you must sometimes scroll down to find. Your mouse may not work at times but the directional arrow keys should work otherwise you have problems (generally spaeking) that have nothing to do with Ubuntu per se.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 5. )</span> Login from the command line. In this exercise we're assuming that a lost, forgotten, or corrupted password is not the issue (that's a solution well documented in Ubuntu's help guides). you're be prompted for username and password and then be logged in at the command line (usually in the home directory).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 6.)</span> This final step is a software engineering exercise (see my short rant on this at the end of this post). From the command line start up the terminal editor called <span style="font-weight:bold;">Nano</span>. You'll want to open the very last file you changed back to its original condition. The command to do so is:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">sudo nano</span> /whateverDirectoryThatFileIsIn/whateverSubdirectoryThatFileIsIn/corruptedFileName</span></blockquote><br /><br />For example: sudo nano /etc/uhoh/screwedUpFile<br /><br />To edit the file, you need to only navigate to the lines that were changed using the arrow keys.<br /><br />Add previously deleted lines by typing them in the appropriate place. Delete lines by placing the cursor next to the text to be deleted and using the delete key. When you are done fixing the file, hold the control key down while pressing the 'X' key. This will allow you to save the changes.<br /><br /><a href="http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/reu/nano.html">A nice tutorial on nano is available here</a>.<br /><br />Step 7.) restart the system in normal mode and hope this resolves the immediate issue of getting back into the Ubuntu and Gnome or KDE environments. If not repeat steps 3 -6 incrementally working backwards correcting changes you made (see rant below).<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Captain Obvious Observation:</span> If, in the course of 'fixing' you misspell text, you are still screwed.<br /><br />If you corrupt the file with bad information, you are still screwed.<br /><br />Be precise! Nothing else will help.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Software Engineering Rant:</span><br /><br />Like a medical doctor, a software engineer must also 'do no harm" but in a different way.<br /><br />generally speaking, doctors eliminate all or as much of the offending matter as they can to heal a subject. A software engineer approaches the problem incrementally by reverse engineering the very last thing that changed back to an original state.<br /><br />The system is then retried for stability. If the problem still manifests itself, the software engineer will incrementally reverse-engineer one more unit of change back and so on.<br /><br />Unlike the human body, computer systems evolve in real-time and have very eccentric possibilities. Fixing a system is very different from healing a human body.<br /><br />Rant: <span style="font-weight:bold;">So why aren't we paid like doctors given the complexity of the task?</span><br /><br />Secondly, Joseph Campbell in speaking of the cacophony of dysfunctional religious practice having to do with interpretations of god(s) is quoted as saying (and I'm paraphrasing), "<span style="font-style:italic;">It just goes to show that there's a lot of ways of getting it wrong.</span>"<br /><br />I use the term 'fix' in a very qualified way. There is an ocean or two of working, 'fixed', dysfunctional software out there.<br /><br />The fact that something 'runs' is no guarantee that it, in fact, works.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The treatment of software professionals in America borders on criminal neglect in pay and in respect!</span> As artificial intelligence solutions flood our lives, citizens should be just as concerned about who wrote their software as about who is their doctor.<br /><br />It matters.<br /><br />End of rant.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-34857512076979484022009-07-04T00:28:00.000-07:002009-07-04T01:52:50.497-07:00Ubuntu Apps: Installing GwibberGwibber is a micro-blogging client that allows you to connect to any number of sovcial microblogging applications. In my case, I use Twitter but many more are supported.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Gwibber">Get Gwibber here.</a> In my case I clicked on the Jaunty Jackalope link which is just as smooth as can be. You'll have to navigate your own Ubuntu package.<br /><br />For Jaunty, you'll see:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8HIDuM3lI/AAAAAAAAATk/LQxM3dgapH8/s1600-h/Screenshot.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 393px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8HIDuM3lI/AAAAAAAAATk/LQxM3dgapH8/s400/Screenshot.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354506316986244690" /></a><br /><br />From here, click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Install</span> button and Gwibber is added to the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Applications -> Internet</span> menu.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.)</span> Run <span style="font-weight:bold;">Gwibber</span> from the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu -> Applications -> Internet -> Gwibber Microblogging Client</span>. The application looks like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8KmPy0AiI/AAAAAAAAAT0/9wPR6oBjosY/s1600-h/Screenshot-Gwibber.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8KmPy0AiI/AAAAAAAAAT0/9wPR6oBjosY/s400/Screenshot-Gwibber.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354510134157771298" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> Let's set up a micro-blogging client. In my case, I have an existing Twitter account in my name.<br /><br />Click on the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Accounts -> Manage</span> menu item. You will see this<span style="font-weight:bold;"> Manage Accounts</span> screen:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8MyXNjEPI/AAAAAAAAAT8/nLjlSfQZdR0/s1600-h/Screenshot-Manage+Accounts.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8MyXNjEPI/AAAAAAAAAT8/nLjlSfQZdR0/s400/Screenshot-Manage+Accounts.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354512541330641138" /></a><br /><br />Click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Add</span> button and select the micro-blogging application you have an account on. <br /><br />Next, fill in the appropriate information:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8Obf73nfI/AAAAAAAAAUM/868kzkHDhuM/s1600-h/Screenshot-Create+twitter+account.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 359px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8Obf73nfI/AAAAAAAAAUM/868kzkHDhuM/s400/Screenshot-Create+twitter+account.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354514347558673906" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, as of this writing, a system glitch may prevent you from entering a password. If this is not a problem, click OK when you've completed the form and you'll see a newly created micro-blogging service such as seen in this picture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8NhPPABFI/AAAAAAAAAUE/lRuWTZmxWgw/s1600-h/Screenshot-Manage+Accounts-1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8NhPPABFI/AAAAAAAAAUE/lRuWTZmxWgw/s400/Screenshot-Manage+Accounts-1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354513346643100754" /></a><br /><br />Click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Close</span> button.<br /><br />If you cannot enter the password, perform the following instructions for the Jaunty jackalope version of Ubuntu.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Locked Keyring Solution</span><br /><br />I spent an enormous amount of time trying (and failing) with a number of previously published internet remedies for this problem. <span style="font-weight:bold;">THIS SOLUTION IS WHAT WORKED.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Problem and symptoms:</span> When entering a password for any number of internet dependent Ubuntu applications a window asking the user to "Enter password for default keyring to unlock" will appear. Nothing the user enters satisfies this request.<br /><br />Solution: On the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu</span> panel, click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Applications -> Accessories -> Passwords and Encryption Keys</span>.<br /><br />Click the Passwords tab and highlight the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Passwords: login</span> password found there. Right-click on it and click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Delete</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8Upqj0TsI/AAAAAAAAAUU/e33laj21FoA/s1600-h/Screenshot-Passwords+and+Encryption+Keys.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 204px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8Upqj0TsI/AAAAAAAAAUU/e33laj21FoA/s400/Screenshot-Passwords+and+Encryption+Keys.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354521187998518978" /></a><br /><br />Exit the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Passwords and Encryption Keys</span> application. The elimination of this key will seamlessly allow you to enter the appropriate password in Gwibber.<br /><br />As an aside, I was very nervous about deleting this key but I had tried and failed a dozen other ways. The key is recreated by the system later on apparently not interfering with Gwibber or anything else.<br /><br />Step 4.) Let's test the connection. In Gwibber, send a message to your micro-blog. I sent "<span style="font-style:italic;">Testing Gwibber</span>" to Twitter and after clicking <span style="font-weight:bold;">Gwibber -> Refresh</span> from the Gwibber main menu, my<span style="font-weight:bold;"> Messages</span> tab displayed the content:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8WhjYBaJI/AAAAAAAAAUc/meS_0iLS0Rg/s1600-h/Screenshot-Gwibber.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8WhjYBaJI/AAAAAAAAAUc/meS_0iLS0Rg/s400/Screenshot-Gwibber.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354523247654299794" /></a><br /><br />After a system restart, Gwibber continues to work properly:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8YJaoNUCI/AAAAAAAAAUk/acCQYEJHu-M/s1600-h/Screenshot-Gwibber.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8YJaoNUCI/AAAAAAAAAUk/acCQYEJHu-M/s400/Screenshot-Gwibber.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354525032012664866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8WhjYBaJI/AAAAAAAAAUc/meS_0iLS0Rg/s1600-h/Screenshot-Gwibber.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk8WhjYBaJI/AAAAAAAAAUc/meS_0iLS0Rg/s400/Screenshot-Gwibber.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354523247654299794" /></a>Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-41816451348943319412009-07-03T20:48:00.000-07:002009-07-03T20:57:23.323-07:00Ubuntu Collaboration: OpenOffice and DropBoxOnce DropBox is installed, it becomes a very simple operation to default document creation in OpenOffice to deposit files in DropBox.<br /><br />In the OpenOffice preferences menu (Tools -> Options -> OpenOffice.org -> Paths), the default directory can be modified to the dropBox location as illustrated here (change the My Documents path to the DropBox directory):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk7SIFio_RI/AAAAAAAAATc/ji20DS-jgX8/s1600-h/Screenshot-Options+-+OpenOffice.org+-+Paths.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk7SIFio_RI/AAAAAAAAATc/ji20DS-jgX8/s400/Screenshot-Options+-+OpenOffice.org+-+Paths.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354448043358354706" /></a><br /><br />This allows an amazing degree of freedom in saving and reaccessing these files from just about any machine offering a browser connection to the internet.<br /><br />For teachers and students doing distance editing due to sickness, snow days, or other reasons this is a godsend.<br /><br />For students or scientists or law enforcement officials working on common information, it is also an invaluable service.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-26655704032431987852009-07-03T16:14:00.000-07:002009-07-03T20:36:35.238-07:00Ubuntu Apps: Installing DropBoxDropBox is an application that provides various levels of storage in the '<span style="font-style:italic;">cloud</span>' so-to-speak. In other words, if you choose to add this application, you can store files away from your computer on a storage device that will allow you and, optionally others, to access that storage space and its contents <span style="font-weight:bold;">regardless of operating system</span>!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <a href="https://www.getdropbox.com/">Sign up here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.)</span> Assuming you decide to try it, click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Download</span> Button. Next, you'll be asked whether or not you're a new user:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6T9j3DFDI/AAAAAAAAASc/qgpLdexluHs/s1600-h/Screenshot-Dropbox+Setup.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6T9j3DFDI/AAAAAAAAASc/qgpLdexluHs/s400/Screenshot-Dropbox+Setup.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354379692797531186" /></a> Click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">New to Dropbox</span> radio button.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> Choose the download that's appropriate for your version of Ubuntu by clicking and saving the file to your desktop:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6Y1dnLnSI/AAAAAAAAASk/egNHnePaz_U/s1600-h/Screenshot-Dropbox+-+Downloading+Dropbox+-+Secure+backup,+sync+and+sharing+made+easy.+-+Mozilla+Firefox.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6Y1dnLnSI/AAAAAAAAASk/egNHnePaz_U/s400/Screenshot-Dropbox+-+Downloading+Dropbox+-+Secure+backup,+sync+and+sharing+made+easy.+-+Mozilla+Firefox.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354385051239554338" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6a6Y89KnI/AAAAAAAAAS0/xo6NvVDaOPc/s1600-h/Screenshot-Opening+nautilus-dropbox_0.6.1_amd64_ubuntu_9.04.deb.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 177px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6a6Y89KnI/AAAAAAAAAS0/xo6NvVDaOPc/s400/Screenshot-Opening+nautilus-dropbox_0.6.1_amd64_ubuntu_9.04.deb.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354387334911306354" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 4.)</span> Double-click the downloaded DropBox installation file. It will begin the installation of the DropBox client.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6bzz4FJ5I/AAAAAAAAAS8/VBncq3WDwtU/s1600-h/Screenshot.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6bzz4FJ5I/AAAAAAAAAS8/VBncq3WDwtU/s400/Screenshot.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354388321391159186" /></a><br /><br />Click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Install</span> button.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 5.)</span> Next you'll be asked to choose a service option. For our example, we're choosing the free storage option. Make your choice and click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Forward</span> button.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6eSucp0NI/AAAAAAAAATE/3PST5Zl1CCY/s1600-h/Screenshot-Dropbox+Setup-1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6eSucp0NI/AAAAAAAAATE/3PST5Zl1CCY/s400/Screenshot-Dropbox+Setup-1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354391051533144274" /></a><br /><br />Step 6.) The installation will continue with a 'tour of features. You can forward through this or skip the tour and finish. Once you are finished the DropBox application is installed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6fptrTzfI/AAAAAAAAATM/eLqXNpjTr_A/s1600-h/Screenshot-Dropbox+Setup-2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6fptrTzfI/AAAAAAAAATM/eLqXNpjTr_A/s400/Screenshot-Dropbox+Setup-2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354392545974799858" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 7.)</span> Let's fire it up! On the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu</span> panel, click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Applications</span> menu, then click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Internet</span> sub menu item. <span style="font-weight:bold;">DropBox </span>will appear as an application there.<br /><br />Click on it. You'll be asked where to put your locally accessible Dropbox folder and in our example we simply defaulted to the suggested destination. Once established this application simply activates an internet connection for the DropBox and an icon appears on the Main Menu panel tha allows you to modify the DropBox settings (out of the scope of this discussion).<br /><br />Nota Bene: You'll also be asked to agree to terms of service and to map your account to an email address. None of this is covered here because it is vendor discretionary stuff and thus more volatile than these basics.<br /><br />Once formalized, the directory appears as such:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6iRObkopI/AAAAAAAAATU/PiT8YAGbMUM/s1600-h/Screenshot-Dropbox+-+File+Browser.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk6iRObkopI/AAAAAAAAATU/PiT8YAGbMUM/s400/Screenshot-Dropbox+-+File+Browser.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354395423805317778" /></a><br /><br /><br />On computers that will share this directory the same procedure of downloading a DropBox client must be followed. This will allow you and your cohorts to use a common repository for notes and documents useful in collaboration environments.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.getdropbox.com/">Files can be accessed by logging in to DropBox here</a>.<br /><br />In future posts we'll explore this more.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-25155075711440645452009-07-03T12:14:00.000-07:002009-07-03T16:14:14.700-07:00Ubuntu First Things: Archive as RootAnother nuisance thing in Ubuntu for developers or power users is the inability to just extract something to the /opt or whatever root-protected destination.<br /><br /><a href="http://serioussoftware.blogspot.com/2009/07/ubuntu-first-things-edit-as-root.html">As we did with the RootEdit exercise</a>, we will now create an Ubuntool that allows us unfettered access to the directory structure.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Right-click</span> on the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Ubuntu Main Menu</span> panel -> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Applications</span>. On the drop-down menu, click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Edit Menus</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.) </span>In the Main Menu configuration window, click the previously-created <span style="font-weight:bold;">UbunTools</span> menu item. You can also use the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Other</span> menu item if you aren't doing the cumulative exercise.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk5a1axBTNI/AAAAAAAAASM/8UPjQmxAzAw/s1600-h/Screenshot-Main+Menu.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk5a1axBTNI/AAAAAAAAASM/8UPjQmxAzAw/s400/Screenshot-Main+Menu.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354316880754592978" /></a><br /><br />Click the New Item button.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> Once again we're going to create a new launch item.<br /><br />This time we'll call it <span style="font-weight:bold;">RootZip</span> and the command will be; <span style="font-style:italic;">gksu file-roller %U</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk5brMsFnSI/AAAAAAAAASU/TDt1pQxGqBU/s1600-h/Screenshot-Create+Launcher.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk5brMsFnSI/AAAAAAAAASU/TDt1pQxGqBU/s400/Screenshot-Create+Launcher.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354317804688743714" /></a><br /><br />Click OK and the command is added to the UbunTools menu.<br /><br />With it you will now be able to extract files wherever you like. That means you should think before extracting.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-78120776355041327432009-07-03T08:10:00.000-07:002009-07-03T09:55:57.531-07:00Ubuntu First Things: Edit as RootFor most users Ubuntu works just fine out of the box and casual users can use the internet wirelessly, edit using OpenOffice, and so on with little or no problems.<br /><br />But occasionally, users need to edit files protected by root user access. For developer's and power users this is always the case.<br /><br />The most elegant solution I've found for this is adding a menu item that launches gedit in root mode.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1.)</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Right click</span> on any drop down menu label of the main panel (say, <span style="font-style:italic;">Applications</span>). The second menu item is: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Edit Menus</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2.)</span> Click <span style="font-weight:bold;">Edit Menus</span>. It pops up the following window:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4iTOtwtyI/AAAAAAAAARc/U1nQd3kFkJw/s1600-h/Screenshot-Main+Menu.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4iTOtwtyI/AAAAAAAAARc/U1nQd3kFkJw/s400/Screenshot-Main+Menu.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354254720752989986" /></a><br /><br />In the column called <span style="font-weight:bold;">Menus</span> under <span style="font-weight:bold;">Applications</span>, click on the entry called <span style="font-weight:bold;">Other</span>.<br /><br />Now click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">New Item </span>Button. We're going to add a gedit launcher that offers root access to files.<br /><br />In the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Create Launcher </span>window, we add the command <span style="font-style:italic;">gksu gedit</span> and give the command a Name that's descriptive such as<span style="font-style:italic;"> RootEdit</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4osorMSJI/AAAAAAAAARs/igDlKnDLrq4/s1600-h/Screenshot-Create+Launcher.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4osorMSJI/AAAAAAAAARs/igDlKnDLrq4/s400/Screenshot-Create+Launcher.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354261754288031890" /></a><br /><br />Click the <span style="font-weight:bold;">OK</span> button. You have successfully added a command called <span style="font-weight:bold;">RootEdit</span> (or whatever you decided to call it) as an executable command that will be listed in the Applications menu.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4qeuXIPaI/AAAAAAAAAR0/hoO-kfWdT3w/s1600-h/Screenshot-Main+Menu-1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4qeuXIPaI/AAAAAAAAAR0/hoO-kfWdT3w/s400/Screenshot-Main+Menu-1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354263714319580578" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Optional Step)</span> The next thing we'll do is create a new menu called UbunTools.<br /><br />First click on Applications.<br /><br />Click <span style="font-weight:bold;">New Menu</span> and fill in the blanks as shown or to your liking, then click <span style="font-weight:bold;">OK</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4t7kSzz6I/AAAAAAAAAR8/FgNbMLaEUp0/s1600-h/Screenshot-Directory+Properties-1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 376px; height: 190px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4t7kSzz6I/AAAAAAAAAR8/FgNbMLaEUp0/s400/Screenshot-Directory+Properties-1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354267508368199586" /></a><br /><br />You will see <span style="font-style:italic;">UbunTools</span> added to the Menus column in the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu</span> window.<br /><br />Click on the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Other</span> menu item. Drag and Drop our newly created RootEdit command to the UbunTools menu.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4vvT0YO2I/AAAAAAAAASE/XGRKcaYWMD0/s1600-h/Screenshot-Main+Menu.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9rp5LLTadVk/Sk4vvT0YO2I/AAAAAAAAASE/XGRKcaYWMD0/s400/Screenshot-Main+Menu.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354269496810421090" /></a><br /><br />Once you successfully drag and drop it to the UbunTools menu, you can delete it from the Other menu by highlighting it and clicking the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Delete</span> button.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3.)</span> Close the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Menu</span> window.<br /><br />The Applications menu now contains a menu item Called UbunTools that has a RootEdit command that launches gEdit with Root privileges so that you can edit protected files.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WARNING and RULES! </span> a.) Before editing protected files be sure that the instructions you are being given make sense and have been verified by others!<br /><br />In other words, read everything you can before acting. One person's medicine is another's poison.<br /><br />Most importantly, SAVE THE ORIGINAL FILE in a backup state. Prefix or postfix the saved filename with something like <span style="font-style:italic;">orig</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">safe</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">backup</span>.<br /><br />Lastly, if you are in over your head technically, don't try to edit protected files, you will regret it.Frank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068336561332115878.post-47546988931326729952009-07-01T22:05:00.000-07:002009-07-01T22:08:24.175-07:00WelcomeI needed to create a place to organize some thoughts on the technical side of the mind and really haven't had that venue for a while.<br /><br />I'll attempt to share some observations about the industry that I hope are worthwhile.<br /><br />In the meantime I'm just setting up shop. Forgive the white space.<br /><br />- Frank KrasickiFrank Krasickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484416897999464357noreply@blogger.com0