Filed under: k/ubuntu, humor

K/Ubuntu has its own bug-tracking system, Launchpad. Go check out bug #1, available at https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/1.

Awesome.

I heart Mark Shuttleworth.

(Check out all of our posts on K/Ubuntu.)

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Filed under: suse

The new SUSE 10.1 is getting great reviews, & is undoubtedly the best SUSE yet. However, even something that is great can always be made better, & that’s where Jem Matzan’s “Hacking SUSE Linux 10.1” comes in. Want to know how to add support for Java, Flash, Acrobat, Windows Media, RealPlayer, ATI & nVidia graphics cards, XGL/Compiz (only the coolest eye candy EVER), & commercial DVD movies? Then go read that article & follow its advice!

(Check out all of our posts on SUSE.)

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Filed under: knoppix, books

Several months ago my second book came out, Hacking Knoppix. Prior to that, O’Reilly released a (good) book on the same subject titled Knoppix Hacks. Yup, the two sure sound alike. On the CWE-LUG list, JT asked a good question: “What is the differentiators between the books? Do they have core themes or do they just deal with different hacks?” Robert – who was the tech editor for Hacking Knoppix and also wrote an appendix, had this to say as an answer. He nailed it, IMHO.

<begin Robert>

Here’s my take:

Knoppix Hacks: a large collection of small hacks
Hacking Knoppix: a small collection of large hacks

So, Hacking Knoppix goes into more depth on a fewer hacks, with a fair amount of emphasis on remastering.

I think the two books complement each other well. But perhaps I’m biased.

<end Robert>

(Check out all of our posts on Knoppix.)

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Filed under: wordpress, blogging

My fave DIY blogging software is WordPress, as you can see at my personal blog (which I use for collecting anecdotes, factoids, &tc for use in my writing), called, appropriately enough, GranneBlog. As with most DIY blogging software, creating a cool theme can be pretty hard. Now, however, there’s a really cool extension for WordPress called Canvas that promises to make this process a lot easier, and a lot more powerful. To really understand this thing, be sure to read “Why Not Take a Closer Look“, which contains screenshots that explain just what this thing can do. It appears to be pretty neat stuff. Anyone tried it? Let us know how it went!

(Check out all of our posts on WordPress.)

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Computer CPUs can stand really hot temperatures, but there comes a point at which things break. Want to know your CPU’s temp? To tell, run this command:

cat /proc/acpi/thermal_zone/THM0/temperature

(Note that it may not work on all machines).

(Check out all of our posts on the command line.)

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Filed under: firefox, windows

At last count, I have 32 extensions installed on Firefox. Needless to say, re-installing every time I set up a new version of Firefox on a machine is major PITA. When I first heard about the Firefox Extension Backup Extension (FEBE), I was really excited. This puppy not only backs up all your extensions, but also “will actually rebuild your extensions individually into installable .xpi files”. Slick. Then I found about the same dude’s Compact Library Extension Organizer (CLEO), which “works with FEBE to package any number of extensions/themes into a single, installable .xpi file.” Holy mackeral! Now THAT is uber-useful! Gimme some of that!

Unfortunately, the dang thing only works on Windows, which is nice for the Windows users, but just sucks completely for Linux & Mac OS users. C’mon … we’re beggin’ you! Get this thing working on the other, cooler operating systems!

(Check out all of our posts on Firefox.)

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Filed under: bittorrent, azureus

So this bozo wrote a column for the Midwest Tech Journal attacking P2P, & in it he made this brilliant statement:

<begin bozo>

Here is the bottom line…there is no use for P2P networks that passes the “straight face” test other than to illegally distribute bootleg songs, movies, and software, along with distributing obscene materials or pornographic materials – including child pornography.

<end bozo>

My good friend Robert was bothered by this crap & responded in a much saner, nicer way than I would have:

<begin Robert>

I too strongly oppose the illigal distribution of copyrighted material. However, I must disagree strongly with this statement:

[See quote above]

The above comment paints peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and those that use them with an extremely broad brush. While it is probably true that illegal material is being exchanged over P2P networks, that does not mean that P2P networks can only be used to exchange illegal material and that P2P networks do not have legitimate uses.

P2P is merely a technology that allows people to exchange information more efficiently than other technologies, much like the interstate highway system allowed people to exchange physical goods more efficiently than previous methods (e.g. the loosely connected state highways). Like the interstate highway system, yes, people do exchange illegal material. And like the interstate highway system, no, we shouldn’t abolish P2P networks just because they can be used to exchange such illegal material. Both the interstate highway system and P2P networks have legitimate uses.

For example, much of the Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) community distributes its software via P2P networking, in particular using the P2P software know as BitTorrent [www.bittorrent.com]. Because of the efficiency by which data can be exchanged, a number of companies and groups have begun to offer BitTorrent as a means to download and exchange their software, including Xandros,Fedora, TheOpenCD Project, FreeBSD, OpenOffice.org, Libranet, Knoppix, among many other. Please visit the Central West End Linux Users Group’s download [www.cwelug.org] page for a more complete yet still miniscule listing.

If you and anyone else would like to witness ligitimate uses of P2P networks for exchanging software and other data, I welcome you to join me at the Central West End Linux Users Group [www.cwelug.org] meeting on any third Sunday of the month. … I will be happy to demonstrate how to download, install, and use BitTorrent for the legitimate exchange of software, all with a very straight face.

<end Robert>

Thank you, Robert. As usual, you are completely correct, & very nice about pressing your point.

(Check out all of our posts on BitTorrent.)

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Filed under: gnome

Sometimes GNOME gets really, really borked, so badly that you essentially need to start over. In situations like that, it’s time for drastic action. Here’s what you do:

If the gconfd process is running, kill it. Find the PID for gconfd with ps aux, and then kill the process using, uh, kill.

Now delete the following directories:

~/.gnome
~/.gnome2
~/.gnome2_private
~/.gconf
~/.gconfd

Restart, & you now have a virgin GNOME. This means, of course, that all the settings your had in place for GNOME apps are gone too. If that really bums you out, then back up those GNOME directories instead of nuking them, and then carefully put the right config files back into place as needed. Tedious, yes, but less of a PITA than redoing everything.

(Check out all of our posts on GNOME.)

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Filed under: k/ubuntu, mac os x, programming, rubyonrails

My buddy Ed is a great programmer, & in the last many months he’s really gotten deep into Ruby on Rails. Periodically he emails the CWE-LUG list about Ruby, & his info is always good. Here’s some of those emails for your edification & enlightenment.

Here’s a presentation that Ed did for the Unix Users Group here in St. Louis:

<begin Ed>

Hello. I know its been 1.5 weeks since my tutorial on Ruby at the general SLUUG mtg, but finally the slides are up.

http://www.cwelug.org/~edh/RubyForNubys.sxi

An OOo Impress document. Feel free to convert it to HTML or PDF if you want.

It is released under a Attribute/Non-commercial/Share-Alike Creative Commons licence. That means you can edit it and redistriute it as long as attribution is maintained and it is released under an identical license.

<end Ed>

Then Ed had this to say about developing Ruby on Rails for Mac OS X users (even though I’m pretty sure Ed uses Linux).

<begin Ed>

http://hivelogic.com/articles/2005/12/01/ruby_rails_lighttpd_mysql_tiger

This is a step-by-step tutorial on getting a full-on Rails stack up and running on your Mac. BTW, Macs are very good at doing Rails development.

<end Ed>

Finally, here’s Ed on getting Ruby on Rails working on my fave distro, K/Ubuntu.

<begin Ed>

Hi, just got a new HD from the EPC sale and installed Breezy onto it. Bit tricky setting up support for Rails programming. The basic issue is getting compiler tools/libraries. I wrote up my travails in my blog: http://greenprogrammer.blogspot.com.

Other than that, Ubuntu really rocks. My laptop seems over 100% faster. Not sure if the HD is the culprit or Ubuntu is just tuned better. And when I plugged my old HD into a USB drive enclosure, Ubuntu popped up various file browsers for each partition. That is seriously cool, man.

Just FYI.

<end Ed>

(Check out all of our posts on Ruby.)

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Filed under: music

What’s new in Amarok 1.4? Oh baby! Amarok is the best – & I mean the best – music jukebox on Linux (too bad it doesn’t run on Windows or Mac OS). It’s already killer, but some new goodies are coming, like support for metadata in other file formats, support for scriptable lyrics, podcast support, statistics, & lots more. Can’t wait!

(Check out all of our posts on Amarok.)

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