Setting up Flex on Eclipse for Linux

Flash development on Linux is done with Flex SDK. Some nice people started at FB4LINUX have provided a GUI to develop Flash on Linux and this can be integrated into Eclipse IDE.

By the time I wrote this rticle, Adobe placed a notice that they will no longer continue with the Flex Builder development. This means that you can only use command lines to work on Flex. I guess this will affect FB4LINUX.

I refer to a number of sites before starting the installation and found one worth mentioning here. Matthew wrote with clarity and did cover what most other instructions provided and maybe a bit more.

Pre-installation checks: Have you installed Eclipse 3.5+ and Java Development Kit 1.5+

Step 1. Download the fb4linux files in 4 parts from http://code.google.com/p/fb4linux/downloads/list

• FB4Linuxaa
• FB4Linuxab
• FB4Linuxac
• FB4Linuxad

Merge them together into a BZIP2 format and extract using the command prompt at the terminal. At the folder where you downloaded the 4 files, just type

cat FB4Linux* >FB4Linux.tar.bz2
bunzip2 FB4Linux.tar.bz2
tar -xvf FB4Linux.tar

I renamed the folder to Adobe_Flash_Builder4 since I did not want spaces between the folder name.

Step 2. Download the eclipse plugin for FB4Linux from http://www.brighthub.com/hubfolio/matthew-casperson/media/p/78806.aspx

Unzip the file ecplise and copy the plugins to /usr/lib/eclipse/plugins

The plugins are;
com.adobe.coldfusion.rds.client_1.0.266425.jar
javax.wsdl_1.6.2.v200806030405.jar
org.apache.commons.lang_2.3.0.v200803061910.jar
org.apache.xerces_2.8.0.v200803070308.jar
org.apache.xml.resolver_1.1.0.v200806030311.jar

Step 3. Start Eclipse and apply the plugins.

In Eclipse select Window->Preferences->General->Capabilities and make sure that the Classic Update option is checked.
Click Help->Software Updates->New Feature to Install.
Click the New Local Site button, and type in the location where you extracted FB4Linux in step 1 (you will need to specify the eclipse subdirectory to be specific).
With the Adobe Flash Builder 4 site selected, click the Finish button. You will be asked which features to install. Tick the Adobe Flash Builder 4 feature and click Next.
Accept the terms and click the Next button and click Finish button.

Restart Eclipse.

Step 4: Install the Flex SDK from http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Download+Flex+4
Download and extract a copy of the Flex SDK from Adobe into a folder flex4.1.0

Set Eclipse to use the Flex SDK by right clicking on your Flash project and selecting Properties. Select the ActionScript Compiler option.
Click the Add button to add the location of the Flex SDK you have extracted.
Click on the Run toolbar menu item and select the External Tools Configuration option.

Right click on the Program option and select the New option. Then fill out the Location and Arguments settings to point to your Flash standalone player and SWF file respectively.

Done...next to look for more flash tutorials.

Installing Libre Office 3.3

Wow,

Open source licensing is now showing how main stream OSS products can be shifted if those in control is not respected. The OpenOffice.org (I hope this name wont be part of power tussle) is now looking at a branch off called Libre Office. Though its in Beta but I expect lots of the bugs I am facing with the present OpenOffice.org provided by the long term support version of Ubuntu 10.04 to be fixed.

Most notable is the page numbering of the slide handout in Impress. Impress is still showing page 1 in the footer for all pages in OpenOffice.org 3.2.1.

Currently all testing packages of the first Libre Offfice can be found at http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/testing/

From what I have read, looks like this will override the OOo in Windows but should co-exist with OOo in Linux. I will update this page with progress I make in installing the Libre Office(beta) 3.3. The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 (size of upto 92Mb) needs to be installed before installing the Libre Office. This can be done with synaptic or at the command prompt type

sudo apt-get install openjdk-6-jre sun-java6-fonts icedtea6-plugin

Step 1: open a terminal prompt. Download the Libre Office (LO) which is about 150Mb with either of these commands;

wget http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/testing/LO_3.3.0-beta1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz
OR
wget http://ftp.yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp/pub/tdf/libreoffice/testing/LO_3.3.0-beta1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz

Step 2: Extract the tar.gz

Step 3: Switch to the folder en-US then install the DEB packages
cd en-US
sudo dpkg -i DEBS/*.deb
sudo dpkg -i DEBS/desktop-integration/*.deb



Internet crawling so slow. Will Unifi change things?

[Kubuntu] Updating OpenOffice.org 3.2.1

I have installed OOo 3.2.0 but there are a number of issues that seems to persist on Kubuntu 10.04 (LTS). For example;

1. When I create a macro to delete selected cells, it does not work. (Solved on 3.2.1)
2. Impress printout of handouts, I do not get the page foot numbers. All pages display as number 1.

[Upgraded OOo has not fixed the bugs I am facing]
Backup all of the extensions you have for OpenOffice.org 3.2.0, if you intend to use it in the future. Now, the steps to upgrade to OOo 3.2.1

Method 1:

1. Download OOo 3.2.1 from
   ftp://mirror.upm.edu.my/openoffice/stable/3.2.1/OOo_3.2.1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz
2. Open a terminal line and extract the tar.gz file
   tar -xzvf OOo_3.2.1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz
   
3. Remove existing OOo 3.2.0
   sudo apt-get remove openoffice*.*
4. Enter the extracted directory and install the .deb files
   cd OOO320_m18_native_packed-1_en-US.9502/DEBS
   sudo dpkg -i *.deb
   sudo dpkg -i desktop-integration/

Method 2:

1. In the software sources, enable the "software Sources"
2. Update packages and install OpenOffice.org-3.2.1
   

Reset user desktop for CentOS

On CentOS, after installing the Oracle OpenOffice.org (OOo), everything works fine. Since by default the PCs have auto update enabled, the users tend to update and this causes the CentOS version of OOo to corrupt the installed OOo.

One way to avoid this is to disable the auto update. Since it is a lab environment, I can easily delete and replace user1 account to remove previous configurations in OOo for user1.

Step 1. Create the 2 simple scripts to disable the auto update and reset the desktop for user1.

goreset.sh
#/bin/bash
echo "Resetting pc:"
chkconfig yum-updatesd off
tmpwatch 0 /tmp
echo "Creating user user1"
userdel -r user1
useradd -m user1
passwd oscc
echo "User created, going to reboot"
reboot

startscript.sh
#!/bin/bash
LOGFILE="./coombreset.log"
echo "Enter server name:"
read SERVER
if [ -e $SERVER ]
then
exit
fi
scp prepare-cooomb-test.sh root@"$SERVER":~
ssh root@"$SERVER" ./goreset.sh
echo $SERVER >> $LOGFILE

Step 2. execute (run) the script named startscript.sh

-end-

Install Windows on Linux

To get MS Windows programs installed on Linux (Ubuntu this case), install Wine and other related files.

Step 1: Open a terminal. Or through the Kpackagekit, install packages below.

Step 2: Install packages by the command below;
sudo apt-get install libmpg123-0 libwbclient0 samba-common smbclient ttf-symbol-replacement winbind wine wine1.2 wine1.2-gecko pptview

MS PPTX and DOCX files can be viewed with OpenOffice.org 3, or the viewers from MS Office (I am yet to try these 2).

1. PowerPoint
2. Word

Disable Nautilus on KDE automount

After installing KDE on Ubuntu 10.04, there were some challenges. One of it is that the USB disk when plugged in, opens (mount) automatically and launches the Gnomes Nautilus. This is not a real problem but when you are used to KDE's environment, the preferred File browser is either Konqueror or Dolphin. In this case, I choose Dolphin.

The most likely cause is that Gnome's GVFS is running and opens the disk automatically. Doing a "ps aux" you will find the following processes running;

/usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd-trash --spawner :1.39 /org/gtk/gvfs/exec_spaw/0 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfs-gdu-volume-monitor /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd-burn --spawner :1.39 /org/gtk/gvfs/exec_spaw/1 /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfs-afc-volume-monitor /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd-metadata /usr/lib/gvfs/gvfsd



What is GVFS?
GVFS replaces Gnome's virtual file system (VFS). Programmes built with the library GIO or Gnome I/O will be invoke automatically and managed by the gvfsd service.

The gvfs-fuse module is used only when the application is not built with the GIO library. With GVFS, Nautilus takes over the automount/autorun responsibilities from gnome-volume-manager. A good read on GVFS is in this 2006 article.



Stopping processes
If I stop (kill) the gvfsd and gvfs-gdu-volume-monitor, Nautilus does not get open anymore. But instead of killing this process, I will approach this by assuming that gvfs reads from Gnome Desktop Manager configuration files.

Step 1:
Open a terminal (e.g. konsole) and type
gconf-editor

Step 2:
In the left window of Gconf-editor, choose /apps/nautilus/preferences and remove check mark for
1) media_automount
2) media_automount_open

Step 3:
Close the Gconf-editor and log out. After you log back in, no more Nautilus.

Installing ubuntu 10.04 and KDE

KDE 4.4 looks good on the Ubuntu 10.04. Yup, finally have the time to upgrade but I only had the Ubuntu CDROM, so later after the install had to manually install KDE4.

Using reference from my previous blog on Installing Kubuntu 9.10. Launch from KMenu the Synaptics or Kpackagekit to install additional applications and libraries. Below is a checklist of items to install.

note: to install via the terminal (CLI), e.g.
sudo apt-get install wvdial

A. Adding KDE desktop manager to Ubuntu

1. kdebase-workspace
2. kde-window-manager
   

B. For the web experience to surf and email

1. openjdk-6-jre (using hotspot)
   
2. thunderbird & enigmail
   
3. icedtea6-plugin
4. adobe-flashplugin
   
5. See item D.
   

C. System tools

1. gdecrypt
   
2. password-gorilla
3. ssh sshfs ksshaskpass
   
4. khelpcenter4
5. wvdial
6. nmap
7. wireshark
8. ksnapshot
   

D. Multimedia, Fonts and codecs

1. ttf-mscorefonts-installer & cabextract
   
2. kubuntu-restricted-extras
3. vlc videolan-doc mozilla-plugin-vlc vlc-plugin-sdl (include libvcdinfo0)
4. k3b libk3b6-extracodecs
5. gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad
6. gimp-help-en & gimp-data-extras
7. kdenlive
8. recorditnow
   

E. IBM Thinkpad utils

1. tpb
2. tp-smapi-dkms
   

F. OpenOffice.org extra stuff

1. openoffice.org-ogltrans
2. openoffice.org-report-builder
3. openoffice.org-presentation-minimizer
4. mozilla-openoffice.org
5. openoffice.org-mysql-connector & mysql-server
   
6. myspell-en-gb
7. openoffice.org-kde
8. libmysql-java
9. mdbtools
   

G. Software development, Eclipse and Android (refer to previous post)

G.1. Apache, PHP & mysql (see previous post)

1. apache2 & php5 & php-pear (after done check that modules are enabled, run command a2enmod php5 )
   
2. mysql-server
3. php5-mysql libapache2-mod-php5 libapache2-mod-auth-mysql

Not everything can be done via the synaptics. Others that require downloading from the internet manually;

1. truecrypt-6.3a & libstdc++5_3.3.6-17ubuntu1_i386.deb
   
2. Extract PCL_ZTEDCV.tar.gz and install (ZTE usb modem) & libqt3-mt_3.3.8-b-0ubuntu3_i386.deb
3. Download AdobeReader (to view PDF files) from http://get.adobe.com/reader
   

Plasma widget error - "could not create a python scriptengine"

In Kubuntu 10.04, Adding widgets may give webkit and scriptengine errors. Here are some of the solutions.

"could not create a python scriptengine"
When installing Solar System widget to desktop, that error appears. Solution is to install plasma-scriptengine-python, e.g. at the terminal (CLI) type;

sudo apt-get install plasma-scriptengine-python

"could not create a webkit scriptengine for the scripted image widget"
When installing Scripted Image widget to desktop, above error appears. Solution, install plasma-scriptengine-webkit. E.g. at CLI type;

sudo apt-get install plasma-scriptengine-webkit

-the end-

Android development on Eclipse

My notes on Android development


Install Eclipse and the java base (about 256Mb)

Install Java

Ubuntu 10.04 provides Java6 in the form of OpenJDK (openjdk-6-jdk). This is great for developers, but for those who wants to install Sun (Oracle) version of Java6, I will also provide the steps here

A) Install OpenJDK (check if its already installed before doing this!)
Step 1: open a terminal and type the following;

update-alternatives --query java

If you already have OpenJDK, then you do not need to install it anymore. If you do not have any Java JDK listed, then continue to step 2.

Step 2:
sudo apt-get install openjdk-6-jdk openjdk-6-jdk icedtea6-plugin

B) Install Sun (Oracle) Java JDK.
Step 1: Add the repository for Sun Java. Open a terminal and type the following;

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner"
sudo apt-get update

Step 2: Install the JDK along with the plugin

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jdk sun-java6-plugin

Step 3: Make it your default
Sun Java is now installed, but you need to make it the default java to use:

sudo update-alternatives --config java


Install Eclipse

Open a terminal and type;

sudo apt-get install eclipse eclipse-pde eclipse-jdt eclipse-plugin-cvs



Install Android plugin for Eclipse

Refer for details at Android.com
Download and add the Eclipse plugin for Android by (update 15 Feb 2010)
wget http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r09-linux_x86.tgz
wget http://dl.google.com/android/ADT_9.0.0.zip


previous post was;
$ wget http://dl.google.com/android/ADT-0.9.7.zip

The tgz is for the android SDK.

Official Google Blog: Celebrating Android

Official Google Blog: Celebrating Android

[on Android 1.6]

Applications that need the .Net framework on Linux

The Genting web site gave some challenges to book their shows. It was directing Firefox to install Silverlight (a MS Windows based programme). On Linux, this is done via the Moonlight package. Here are things I tried on Kubuntu 9.10 using Firefox version 3.5.9

1. Installed via the terminal
sudo apt-get install moonlight-plugin-mozilla

Still cant work...maybe its Mono 1.0?

2. Installed the Mono 2.0 via URL http://go-mono.com/moonlight/download.aspx
Still cant work!

3. Installed the prerelease Mono version 3 via the URL http://go-mono.com/moonlight/prerelease.aspx
The size was 13.2Mb
Still cant work! Firefox keep closing (crash) each time I click on that page.

I am sending rwgenting a feedback.

Those websites who choose to use the .Net framework keeps most Linux users away from their services. Unless there are plans to get these fixed. If anyone have gone to rwgenting to do booking of shows on a Linux machine and it works, do let me know how it can be done.

Android on Sony Ericsson

The Sony Ericsson X10 runs on Android operating system. This is an X window on linux kernel 2.6.29-rel. Its really responsive in my
opinion when I do the following;
1. Using the standard virtual keyboard.
2. Switching between application.
3. Using Timescape to read messages and mediascape for multimedia.


Among the 10 main apps I Installed and will keep;
1. Dolphin web browser.
2. MP3 download.
3. Ringtone Editor.
4. Task manager.
5. PasswdSafe.
6. Astro File Manager +smb module.
7. Connect Bot.
8. Android vnc viewer.
9. EASYNOTE.
10. Mytask.

But i still cant open OOo documents. PDF AND MS WORD WORKED!

Next, android will be on tablet PCs like the Cisco Cius.

The Android can be built with ecipse and the java development kit. See
http://www.alittlemadness.com/2010/06/07/understanding-the-android-build-process

Convert AVHCD to AVI and burn as VCD

Getting AVHCD from a video camera into a PC a making it into a VCD. This is a weekend project.
Next, AVIs are great for the PC, however, to distribute to people who do not use PCs to watch movies or just to have a larger screen, it is better to convert the AVI into a VCD.

Step 1: Copy the files from the AVHCD camera
CAMERA: /media/disk-1/PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM
PC: ~/Documents

Step 2: Convert to AVI.
Future action can consider direct preparation for MPG. Here it is in AVI because there was a need for me to prepare in various format apart from MPG or VCD.

Start KDENLive
- File -> Save As ->
- Project -> Add clip
- In the Project Tree window, drag the clips into the timeslots (bottow window)
- Click Render button ->AVI DV

Step 3: Get the converter programme called vcdimager
$ sudo apt-get install vcdimager

Step 4: Convert to mpg and the cue / bin
ffmpeg -i inputfile.avi -target pal-vcd outfilename.mpg
# create the cue and bin files. The label did not allow for spaces.
vcdimager -t vcd2 -l"Martha-Swimming-May-2010" -c vcd2.cue -b vcd2.bin outfilename.mpg

Step 5: Using K3B, choose project for Burn Image
Insert a blank CDROM
Image to burn ->Select the .cue file.
Image type ->Cue/bin

Click "Start"


===========
Using:
K3B version 1.68.0
KDE 4.3.2
CDRDAO 1.2.2
VCDimager 0.7.23
Kubuntu 9.10
===========

Add Screensavers in KDE4

Screensavers are graphics that replaces the normal desktop screen when it is idle too long (it depends on the user setting). This should reduce the burnout of the screen and also hides the desktop contents from passing eyes.

Default install of Kubuntu did not have any of the nice screensavers. Check the screensavers by choosing the KMenu ->system Settings
Choose the General tab ->Desktop ->Screen saver


To install additional screensaver, use the Software Management such as KPackagekit or synaptic and install

kscreensaver-xsavers-extra

This can also be done at the terminal by typing
$ sudo apt-get install kscreensaver-xsavers-extra

This installs
kscreensaver
kscreensaver-xsavers
kscreensaver-xsavers-extra
libgle3
netpbm
xscreensaver
xscreensaver-data
xscreensaver-data-extra
xscreensaver-gl
xscreensaver-gl-extra

Install optional items;
$ sudo apt-get install xfishtank qcam streamer

Start programming with QT4

If you ever are into open source software, eventually contribution of codes becomes part of the cycle. Trolltech from Oslo, Norway popularised the QT, which is a set of programming libraries that is used to develop graphical applications. In Linux, there is the KDE desktop manager that uses the QT libraries. Other popular applications that use QT are Opera,

Here is a guide to get started with QT programming (qt4 in this case) on Kubuntu 9.10. You will need the demo and the Graphical development tool

A. Setting up the environment
Step 1: Install the libraries and compilers. This include libraries such as "QLabel" and QLayout from the QtGui
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential kdelibs4-dev libqt4-qt3support libqt4-assistant

Step 2: Install the demos
$ sudo apt-get install qt4-demos

Step 3: Configure Linux to compile with qt4 instead of the default qt3
$ sudo update-alternatives --config qmake

Step 4: # install the Graphical development tool
$ sudo apt-get install kdevelop


Step 5: Read info on QT4 through the manuals at /usr/share/qt4/doc/html/index.html
$ assistant-qt4

B. General programming setup of project, compiling and execute

Step 1: Create the source files. E.g. .cpp, .h, etc.
Just copy from the demo files in /usr/lib/qt4/examples. I will use files from the example tabdialogs.
$ cp -r /usr/lib/qt4/examples/dialogs/tabdialog/ ~
$ cd ~/tabdialog

Step 2: Create the project file. The project file (.pro) define headers, sources, form and other files which the application consists of.
$ qmake -project

Step 3: Compile
$ qmake
$ make

Step 4: Run the programmes.
$ ./tabdialog

Alternatively, use the KDevelop to manage the project. Start KDevelop and open to .pro file.
$ kdevelop

C. References

1. http://zetcode.com/tutorials/qt4tutorial/
2. http://sector.ynet.sk/qt4-tutorial/my-first-qt-gui-application.html
3. http://qt-apps.org/
   

Wishing you all the best in QT4 programming!

Scanning the hard disk status

The hard disk performance effects how people perceive their Linux box. If you say a system is slow, what is causing this? There are many reasons, among them are;
too many programmes running, lower processing speed of hardware, insufficient resources, etc.

You can use basic linux tools to give readings on the hard disk for benchmark purpose. Here are among commands that anyone can use via a terminal;

1. Get timing of cache and device reads on inactive systems. This means nothing else is running during the test.
   hdparm -tT /dev/sda
2. Shows the files opened by processes.
   lsof
3. Monitor balance between input/output load of physical disk using the sysstat package. iostat -x
4. Space on mounted devices.
   df -h
   
5. Monitor load on a Linux system, default every 10 second updated.
   atop

Details on how to use the above commands can be found in the respective man pages.

Now you can tell someone, my disk is faster than yours.

Impressive Impress and Converting Slides to AVI

Just completed an Impress slide and converted into AVI and MPEG. Final presentation was in AVI, the MPEG can be used for the web as its only half the AVI size.


Tools useds;

1. Slides - OpenOffice.org 3.1 Impress
2. Recording slides - recordmydesktop
   
3. Video editing - Avidemux
4. Graphics - GIMP
5. Audio - Audacity
6. OGV to AVI converter - mencoder
7. AVI to MPEG converter - Download helper (extension for firefox) + mencoder
8. Operating System - Ubuntu & Kubuntu (2 PCs)

Side note:
The Impress extensions installed to improve the presentation was "Presentation Minimiser" to reduce the slide file size and "openoffice.org-ogltrans" to add slide transitions. Here are examples of how the additional slide transitions looked like.

Installing ZTE MF110 on Ubuntu Linux

Maxis offered their broadband along with the ZTE's MF110 HSUPA modem. Thus far, I have not gotten a chance to get a Digi offer to try their broadband,....maybe some day.

The MF110 features
Network: HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS 2100 MHz,EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Data transmission speeds: 7.2Mbps DL 5.76Mbps UL
Weight: 21.5 gramme
Application: Join Air with SMS service, Data service, Applications management, Data concurrent. This allowed me to add other service providers (yet to be tested) with the same modem.


Installation on Linux KUbuntu 9.10

1. Install wvdial from KPackageKit
   
2. Plug the MF110 into the USB slot. Mount the MF110 and enter the directory "Linux"
3. Extract "PCL_ZTEDCV.tar.gz" to your HOME directory.
4. Open a terminal and type "sudo ./install.sh"
5. Launch the application "Join Air" from the KMenu
6. In Join Air, at the Internet menu (A globe icon), click "Connect". Minimise this window but do not close as its needed to maintain Internet connection.
   
7. It connects directly with initial IP 121.121.X.X and tries to open the web page mylaunchpad.com.my

It defaults to the setting of
Dial number: *99#
APN: static: maxisbb
username: maxis
password: wap

Connection has been pretty much inconsistent. Its fast at times, then no connection, then have to keep reloading the page. I like its thumbdrive size and the blinking lights. The Join Air application is also easy to read and use.

Naming USB drives

For the simple reason that USB drives go missing often is that they are portable and sometimes small. The best way to mark ownership is with one of the permanent marker pens. However, naming the USB drive will tell everyone who it belongs to when it is plugged in.

Just maybe, that missing USB drive containing your phone number will come back to you if found.

Here is how to name the disk on Kubuntu 9.10 or other similar Linux like CentOS.

Step 1:
Insert the USB disk and determine the device and partition. E.g. /dev/sdb1
Easily done with the mount command.

Step 2:
Unmount the disk (Do not unplug from the USB).

sudo umount /dev/sdb1

Step 3:
Check existing disk name

sudo mlabel -i /dev/sdb1 -s ::

Step 4:
Rename the disk label. E.g. below, replace the word "myphonenumber" with anything you like with a limit of 12 characters.

sudo mlabel -i /dev/sdb1 -s ::myphonenumber

Step 5:
Remove the USB disk, and reinsert back to confirm the name has changed.

For more details see ubuntu.com

ThunderBird 2.0 Add-ons

Thunderbird 2.0 reached EOL Aug 2009 but Thunderbird 3.0 still does not have all the stuff and attractions for an upgrade, so here I am still using Thunderbird 2.0. What is Thunderbird?

Its an Email client, Calendering, Task and Contact Management. Allows access to Email accounts via POP or IMAP. It also supports GMail accounts, Unix mailbox and Newsgroup account access. A really great application to work with.

Some of the must have add-ons for my Thunderbird 2:

1. Contacts Sidebar 0.7 - Allows me to forward VCards and access via F4 the addresses, copy and paste info of the VCard into email.
2. Lightning 0.9 - The calendar and task Manager
3. FG Printers 0.4.4 - Format printing if the calendars
4. VCS Support 0.6.3.1 - Allows me to import/export VCS calendars
5. Automatic Export 0.3.0 - Allows automatic backup of the calendars

Other optional add-on:

1. Provider for Google Calendar
2. Bidi Mail UI
3. PGP
4. Thunderbrowse

There is a great forum at MozillaZine for updates and help.

Linux driver in use

From a terminal window;

To view all device drivers and the module names
$ lspci -k

To view a specific device (e.g. 03:00)
$ lspci -vv -s 03:00

To view all the loaded modules (The letter 'K' is uppercase in Kernel)
$ lsmod
$ lspci -k |grep Kernel

Installing Kubuntu 9.10

Just did a fresh install for Kubuntu 9.10 based on my previous install. Here is a list of steps I took to get my most common applications working.

Post installation recommendations
Start the Kubuntu software(package) installer by Kmenu ->Application ->Systems ->KpackageKit

Choose following packages:

1. openjdk-6-jre-hotspot
2. mozilla-thunderbird-2.0.0.23
3. lightning-extension
4. flashplugin-installer

Install Firefox web browser
Choose Kmenu ->Internet ->Firefox Web Browser Installer

To allow Java applications to run in the web browser, open a terminal and install the openjdk plugin;

$ sudo apt-get install icedtea6-plugin

To get the wireless working, run at terminal this command and reboot. My wireless router for WPA, TKIP did not connect until following steps were taken. Open a terminal and type

$ sudo /etc/init.d/network-manager restart

Install the other stuff for common applications to be used. At the terminal run

$ sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts

For multimedia, fonts and assorted codecs support

This will add JRE, mp3, mpeg, odbc, unrar and other useful support.

$ sudo apt-get install kubuntu-restricted-extras

This allows the disk to be encrypted and manage passwords. Additional encryption can be downloaded from http://www.truecrypt.org/downloads or mediafire.

$ sudo apt-get install gdecrypt password-gorilla

Allow secure SSH connection to and from SSH servers.

$ sudo apt-get install ssh sshfs ksshaskpass kdessh

Install the VLC video player to watch CD and DVD movies.

$ sudo apt-get install vlc videolan-doc mozilla-plugin-vlc vlc-plugin-sdl libvcdinfo0

Install basic Thunderbird add-ons to enhance its usage. From a web browser enter the URL https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird

Download and install the following;

1. Automatic Export
2. Bidi Mail UI (not needed if installed as earlier)
3. FG Printers
4. Lightning (not needed if installed as earlier)
5. Provider for Google Calendar (not needed if installed as earlier)
6. Thunderbrowse

To improve web browsing, these are my download addons from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox

1. FoxTabs
2. Speed Dials
3. Zotero
4. Server spy
5. Video download helper
6. Firebug
   

How a small office can switch to open source?

During small talk sessions the topic of having offices switching to Open Source Software (OSS) intrigued me to write this piece. Its in no mean very deep but gives you considerations to start the office moving towards a secure, efficient, cost saving and almost virus free environment.

Must have apps for the office hard working staff:

1. Office productivity suite (prepare letters, reports, spreadsheet and presentation slides) - OpenOffice.org
   
2. Email clients - Thunderbird + Calendar
3. Document viewer - Acrobat Reader
   
4. Desktop publishing tools such as flyers and posters - Scribus
   
5. Financial tool - GnuCash
   
6. Project management and monitoring - OpenProj
   
7. Graphics and photo editing tool - GIMP, F-SPOT, GwenView, XSane Image Scanning, Mobile Media Converter
   
8. Backup data to CDROM or DVDROM, network - K3B, Simple Backup
   
9. Web browsing - Firefox
10. Encryption of files/data - GDecrypt, TrueCrypt, Password Gorilla
    
11. Internet calls/VOIP - Skype
12. Multimedia player - VLC
    
13. Base apps/interpreter for other programmes to run - Java Runtime Environment, Flash, Wine, PHP5
    

If you need to have an office with Linux, consider the above as your checklist of must haves. The next question would be, which Linux would you install? There is already a good write up at Tuxradar. All of the above can be installed on Fedora and Ubuntu without much hassle but final choice of desktop is yours.

Once you have gotten all of the staff interested and comfy with the Linux desktop you can then start integrating with linux services in a networked office.

An office of 4 or more people should have a server or more with the following must have services:

1. Printer sharing - CUPS
   
2. Cetralised file/document sharing - PLONE or Open Atrium
   
3. Global address book - LDAP or Customer management suite (see below)
   
4. Local DNS - BIND
   
5. Customer management - vtiger or SugarCRM Community Edition (Asertiva)
6. Automated networked backup - Bacula
7. Centralised time server - NTPD
8. Local email server? Most small office use public email services.
   

There are loads of other projects that can be done once you have the above in order and your tech guy is happily getting used to OSS.

MCRYPT module for PHP (RHEL5)

RHEL5.3 did not have support for the MCRYPT module that many PHP applications use to create basic security. Well, anyone could download mcrypt from sourceforge and recompile PHP to support this module. I found another way which I hope also will work for you;

Step 1: Login as admin and install MCRYPT
yum install mcrypt

Step 2: Install epel
http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-3.noarch.rpm
rpm -Uvh epel-release*.rpm

Step 3: Install the module
yum install php-mcrypt.i386

Step 4: Restart Apache
service httpd restart

Confirmation of the installed module can be found from the phpinfo() page. The module I had included cipher for
cast-128
gost
rijndael-128
twofish
arcfour
cast-256
loki97
rijndael-192
saferplus
wake
blowfish-compat
des
rijndael-256
serpent
xtea
blowfish
enigma
rc2
tripledes

Print repeat header in Calc

Calc is a great electronic spreadsheet and have lots of functions to create a diverse range of apps.

Since my upgrade to OpenOffice.org 3.1.1, I have not explored Calc much. When I tried to print a spreadsheet that ran across 40 pages. I tried to have the first 2 rows repeat as headers in every page, an error appeared "Invalid Sheet Range".

Solution:

1. Open the Calc spreahsheet.
2. In the menu choose Tools ->Option ->OpenOffice.org Calc ->Formula
3. In Formula Syntax, it shows "Calc A1". Click on the dropdown box and choose "Calc A1".
4. Click "Ok".

Some trigger must have failed to detect the values as "Calc A1". Thank you Arnel for giving the solution in Oct 2009.

Oracle takes out the Sun

Oracle has finally taken over Sun Microsystems. Days of darkness are here but how long will it be?
Sun is not only about hardware. What will happen to OpenOffice.org, Java and MySQL? How about the Sun and MySQL Certifications?

How will Jonathan, being the last Sun Microsystem's CEO end his career there?

All the debates are ongoing in the internet but I look forward to Oracle making clear statements on these concerns.

Kubuntu 9.10 on PIII

Ubuntu released the 9.10 Karmic last year. Due to all the hectic schedule I finally managed to install Kubuntu 9.10 today.

Kubuntu is installed on a Pentium III with 200Mb RAM having 20Gb hard disk. Mouse is with the Nano wireless and keyboard is PS2. With the L2 cache being 512k, it should mean something to Kubuntu to run smoothly (almost). Working just ok, and the desktop looks neat. Swap is taking up 144Mb of the 1,400Mb allocated during installation.

Following are among the first thing I did after install;

1. Did a system update and removed the package kubuntu-firefox-installer.
2. Set the screen to resolution to 1024x768
3. Checked with Konqueror the Internet connection...connected to the broadband via router.
3. Used KPackagerKit to install Firefox 3.5
4. Added stuff like password gorilla, Kphotoalbum

List of things to do next:
1. Install Java and Flash
2. Get a PDF reader. Currently Okular is installed by default.

Enable user directories in Apache2

Its been a while since Apache2 was introduced. The configurations are found in apache2.conf and user specific settings can be added to httpd.conf in the /etc/apache2 directory. One major difference from previous version is the method to enable the user directory modules.

The Linux users can have their individual websites but this needs to be enabled and the web server restarted. At the command line type

sudo a2enmod userdir
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

This enables the Userdir module in /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/userdir.conf and users can create pages in the directory /home/username/public_html
This is managed by the directive

<directory /home/*/public_html>

Other basic configurations can be

1. Disable a user from serving webpages (e.g. root and user1)
   
   Userdir disabled root user1


2. Access URL as http://servername/~username
   
   Userdir public_html


3. Access URL as http://servername/web/username
   
   Userdir web

MyGOSSCON 2009 on theStar

The latest promotion on the Malaysian Government Open Source Software Conference 2009 or MyGOSSCON is on the theStar newspaper today, see "A Vision Becomes Reality"

Upcoming MyGOSSCON 2009 Conference

The 3rd in the series of conference for the Malaysian Government on OSS will be coming this 5-6th October 2009 at PICC, Putrajaya.
To kick off the conference, following events have been scheduled:

1. OpenOffice.org contest (for primary students to show off their skills on OSS presentation tools)
2. OSS Case Study Award (Government and Institution of Higher Learnings share their OSS experiences through a write up of their implementations)
3. 24-Hour WebDev Contest (Allow groups of programmers to compete heads on to grab a chance to show-off their skills)

-x-

[Jaunty] Firefox Foxtab

Firefox provides a large number of extensions that enhances the user experience. The extension to increase its fancy tab switching is called FoxTab. Install this and on the superb KDE display, things get even better. I have version 1.2.1 on Firefox 3.0.14.

Once installed, use the F12 key to view multiple tabs.

I dont use a mouse that much but if you do, make full use of its mouse gestures. E.g. Hold the left mouse button, then hit the right mouse to launch the Interactive mode of Foxtab. The next time you need to do a presentation on web apps, try it with Foxtab. In terms of memory usage, when Firefox with 6 tabs (includes images) an average of 105,120k memory is used. Launching the Foxtab this increased to 108,492k on average. This is about 3,000k of extra memory is used.

[Kubuntu] Upgrade OOo 3.1.1

Just did an OpenOffice.org upgrade to 3.1.1 and it seems to be working fine on Jaunty. Additionally, I had to install the openoffice.org-kde and openoffice.org-style-oxygen.

The install provides OOo310m19 (build 9420).

For those who have been struggling with the slide transition preview, will now find it is much smoother. Same goes for the custom animations, great improvement. On the status bar of Impress, Calc and Writer it indicates when the document have been edited and needs to be saved.

The sliderbar to zoom is available for all 3 main components and you can also double click the zoom display to bring up the zoom dialog box.

Tried the overlining of text features, cool. Now, when will I ever need this?
There are a whole bunch of other features listed at OpenOffice.org

London Stock Exchange to consider Linux?

The concern for performance in time sensitive financial environments is very real when the London Stock Exchange (LSE) had a system fault in Sept 2008. The TradElect system in place was MS Windows based and may be considered to be replaced as interviewed by Computerweekly and finextra.com.

During the recent visit by Redhat to Malaysia, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was mentioned as an example of financial systems using Linux. The trading speed of 0.4 milliseconds have been mentioned in the same article. This is almost double the speed of the TradElect but will the investment of billion of Pounds justify replacing it with another new system like Linux? Anyone knows what KLSE is using?

Financial systems world wide looking at the future of their architecture might learn a lesson or two with how the LSE takes charge of their investment and business needs.

[kubuntu] Rename FAT label

The Kubuntu Jaunty did not allow me to change the USB diskdrive label. This I found was because it is FAT32 formated. Why would I want to change the label and maintain it as FAT32 format?

1. If someone finds my disk and would care to return it, they can mount it and find my phone num ber as the label.
2. The FAT32 allows me to plug the USB diskdrive to MS Windows and Linux operating system interchangeably.
3. I backup to this disk for both operating system.
   

Here are steps to change the label name.

Step 1: Install mtools if not already done.

$ sudo apt-get install mtools

Step 2: Identify the USB diskdrive (or partition) to be formatted.
Plug in the USB diskdrive. Then identify the USB device in a terminal, type:

$ tail /var/log.messages

I found mine as /dev/sdb1

Step 3: Rename the label with 11 characters maximum

$ sudo mlabel -i /dev/sdb1 ::0161234567

Test the results by unplugging the device, then plug back in to see the difference. Thank to the reference at Ubuntu.com website.

Yahoo Messenger upgrades its servers

Early this month I failed to connect the Kopete 0.70.2 to Yahoo Messenger. There were several suggestions to use alternate messenger server IP manually. Initially it worked, but soon all of the suggested servers failed.

This was due to Yahoo upgrading their servers. Matt Rogers, the maintainer for Kopete soon received info from Pidgin maintainers on the authentication changes. Yahoo have upgraded its authentication to version 15 from version 13 and this is now resolved. But the KDE 4.2 based distros may well have to wait for a package on this. In the mean time, revert to Pidgin or compile from Kopete SVN.

Howto on installing from SVN

Step 1: Install svn client from a terminal.

sudo apt-get install subversion subversion-tools

Step 2: Install the tools to compile (generate the executables) from a terminal

sudo apt-get install cmake
sudo apt-get install libqt4-dev kdelibs5-dev  [36Mb +]
sudo apt-get install libqimageblitz-dev [33Mb+]

Step 3: Follow are instructions from kopete.kde.org in a terminal

svn co -N svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/KDE/kdenetwork
cd kdenetwork
svn up kopete cmake
mkdir ../kdenetwork-build
cd ../kdenetwork-build
cmake ../kdenetwork
make
sudo make install

If you get errors below on building, then it may require the other libraries to build the KDE source.

CMake Error at /usr/share/cmake-2.6/Modules/FindPackageHandleStandardArgs.cmake:57 (MESSAGE):
Could NOT find KdepimLibs (missing: KdepimLibs_CONFIG)
Call Stack (most recent call first):
/usr/share/kde4/apps/cmake/modules/FindKdepimLibs.cmake:73 (find_package_handle_standard_args)
CMakeLists.txt:33 (find_package)

Solution: Read the KDE4 build instructions and at a terminal type following before you resume where you left off in step 3. This will take a good 270Mb+ but you can install any future source from KDE easily.

sudo apt-get install kdepimlibs5-dev

Test Kopete with the Yahoo Messenger account. The package can be removed with the command

sudo make uninstall kopete

[Jaunty] Configure program at system boot up

The tpb services can be started from the command line as follows

/etc/init.d/tpb start

This allowed the interaction with some of the Thinkpad laptop special function keys. Now, how can I get this activated automatically during bootup?

Previously, KDE provided KControl where I can choose the various programs available to start or not during system boot. In Jaunty and KDE 4.2, its gone! Here I list 3 alternative ways to manage this. First 2 require users to have a basic knowledge of the runlevels.

METHOD 1: Back to old debian school!
Step 1. Install the sysv-rc-conf from a terminal

sudo apt-get install sysv-rc-conf

Step 2. Run the program, choose what you want activated at each Runlevel.


To select the next page press Control+n or p. Other than that just use the cursor arrows to move to different services.

METHOD 2: Use Gnome Bum. Better to also understand scripts priority that begin with "K" means to shutdown, "S" to start up.
Step 1: Install the Bum with the terminal.

sudo apt-get install bum

Step 2: Start the Bum.
From the KMenu ->Application ->System ->Bootup Manager

Since its menu driven, should be easier to figure out.

METHOD 3: Start a script during login, with KDE Autostart
Step 1: In KDE systems, all scripts located in ~/.kde/Autostart will automatically run when a user logs in (Where the ~ means your home directory). Create a new file called mytpb.sh with the following contents to start thinkpad sound mixer;

#!/bin/sh
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
tpb -m on

Step 2: Save the file.

Step 3: Change the mode to executable

$ chmod u+x ~/.kde/Autostart/mytpb.sh

Step 4: Logout, then log back in.
You can then try the Thinkpad's volume control. This should produce the on screen display (OSD) of the volume bar. Other settings can be configured in the /etc/tpbrc or ~/.tpbrc

[Jaunty] Managing sound device

The recent Kubuntu 9.04 Linux uses the Pulseaudio to manage its sounds device selection. To enable all sound devices to use the Pulseaudio sound server, open a terminal and type

asoundconf set-pulseaudio

Any application that need to access the audio, including the ALSA will be sent to the Pulseaudio server. The settings can be configured at

/usr/share/alsa/pulse-alsa.conf

Open or play a movie or sound and test if it works. If this does not work, reset back to use the default ALSA system with the command;

asoundconf reset-default-card

I am still trying to figure out the significant benefit of using Pulseaudio.

[Jaunty] Firefox can use apt://

Some URLs accessed by Firefox is used to install packages for Linux. For example the URL to add the canonical cloud client.

apt://ubuntuone-client?refresh=yes

I get the following message.

Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (apt) isn't associated with any program.

Solution.

I started synaptic and added the package apturl, searched for Ubufox extension for Firefox. Restarted Firefox and now I can access the URL.

Reset MySQL 5 password

I am running a Joomla training this week. One of the main items is getting the password assignment for root and database user. As a reference here is to resetting root password and assigning user to have full access to a database.

Reset root password
Step 1: Restart the MySQL server without using the user restrictions and access to the network.

#/etc/init.d/mysql stop
#mysqld --skip-grant-tables --skip-networking&

Step 2: Open another terminal and reset your password

# mysql mysql -u root
mysql> UPDATE user SET password=PASSWORD('NewPassword') WHERE user="root";
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
# /etc/init.d/mysql restart

Assigning user access to database
Step 1: Login a root to mysql


Step 2: Assign the user joe to use from localhost the database somedatabase.
mysql> GRANT ALL privileges ON somedatabse.* TO joe@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'SomePassword';
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Backup Thunderbird2

Just after installing the Kubuntu Jaunty 9.04 Linux, its time to restore some of my stuff. Firstly, I need communications and this is via my Thunderbird.

Backup:
I found it necessary to disable some of the extensions to allow the new Thunderbird to run properly.
Copy the Thunderbird directory profile (usually it goes with some crazy name followed by your profile name to the backup device. Example

cp ~/.mozilla-thunderbird/izwvasdx.default /media/backupdisk

Restore:
Step 1:
Copy the directory profile back to the new system

Step 2:
In the terminal create an email profile that uses the old directory, type

thunderbird -profilemanager


Ref: Mozilla

Install Moodle on CentOS 5

Following are steps to install Moodle 1.9 on CentOS 5.

Step 1
Install mysql-server-5.0.45, mysql-5.0.45 and php-5.1.6

Install other PHP library php-mbstring-5.1.6, php-xmlrpc-5.1.6

Step 2
Add the user name "user1" and database "mymoodle" to MySQL with the correct privilege.

Step 3
Download the moodle and extract to /var/www/html/moodle
Create and assign the permission of the webserver to the data directory at /var/www/moodledata

Step 4
In a start the moodle installation via web browser, use the location
http://localhost/moodle

Copy the script into a file named config.php within the root directory of Moodle.

Follow the rest of the instruction to complete.

Step 5
Install lynx to activate the cron. Edit the crontab to run every 30 minutes.

$ crontab -e
*/30 * * * * wget -q -O /dev/null http://localhost/moodle/admin/cron.php



See http://docs.moodle.org/en/Installing_Moodle
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Administration_FAQ

I am a registered Linux user #490593

Register yourself as a registered Linux user at Home, Work or any other place.

[Jaunty] Adding mp3 into OpenOffice.org Impress presentations

One of the popular format for music is the MP3 where a form of lossy compression algorithm is used. A typical music CDROM would hold only a few songs but when saved as MP3, almost a hundred music and song can be saved on a single CDROM. MP3 allows a smaller sized file that still provided an acceptable quality in audio.

On Kubuntu 9.04 with OpenOffice.org (OOo) 3.0.1, adding of the MP3 to play audio during a presentation is simple. Default audio support is on MIDI, AIF, AU and WAV format. The Linux system needs to have gstreamer from fluendo installed for OOo to play MP3s. So this is to all my friends who is trying to get their presentation done with audio and still hanging on to OOo, here are the steps.

Step 1: This is a one time step.
Open a terminal and with an internet connection, type

$ sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3

Step 2:
Open the Impress presentation and choose the slide where you want to start the audio. Select the "Slide transition" tab.

Step 3:
In the Modify transition section, choose Sound and select "Other Sound..." then choose the file containing the desired music. In this case, it should be a working MP3. And check the option for "Loop until next sound".


Warning: Do not click the button "Apply to All Slides", as this will force the MP3 to restart after each slide. Volume is controlled by the PC speakers or you could remake the audio.

[Jaunty]Installing scanning and photo editing tools on Kubuntu 9.04

In a fresh install of Kubuntu Jaunty 9.04, the next best thing to do is try out its scanning and photo editing capabilities.

$ sudo apt-get install gimp gimp2.0-quiteinsane gimp-gutenprint gimp-data-extras

This install GIMP the popular photo editor and the SANE tools for scanning.

[Jaunty]Adding the VLC video player

Kubuntu Linux 9.04 supports the VLC video player very well. In a fresh install, open the terminal and type

$ sudo apt-get install vlc videolan-doc mozilla-plugin-vlc vlc-plugin-sdl libvcdinfo0

[Jaunty]Installing Thunderbird 2 on Kubuntu Linux 9.04

Just after installing Kubuntu Linux 9.04 and all seems well, the email client is the next stop.

Install Thunderbird 2.0 from a terminal

$ sudo apt-get install thunderbird thunderbird-dispmua mozilla-thunderbird-bidiui lightning-extension enigmail

The installation included the following packages:
calendar-google-provider calendar-timezones

First look at Kubuntu 9.04 Jaunty

I have just completed a number of fresh install of Kubuntu Jaunty 9.04 Linux on a
Lenovo R60 (9459BF8) 32 bits
CPU T5600 @ 1.83GHz
L1 64KiB
L2 Cache 1984KiB
RAM 1Gb


Here are some quick comments:


The KMenu
This is the KDE Start Menu. One of its main menu options is the Favourites. This contain the Konqueror, Kontact, System Settings, Dolphin, Kopete and Amarok menu. Users should add frequently used programs here.

Desktop
There is a desktop that takes only a small place on dashboard. There are Plasmoid widgets that can be added to the dashboard to increase user experience. to view only the Dashboard, press Ctrl+F12 (or press the Show Dashboard Applet in thebottom panel) to dim all applications and view only the widgets and Desktop.

Workspace
Default Kubuntu had only 2 workspace and no keyboard shortcut to switch betweenmany workspaces. I can only return to 1st workspace with Ctrl+F1.

1. Right click Pager applet (in the bottom panel) and choose "Configure Desktop", increase to 4 workspace.

Screen
The screen is sharp and nice, which is why I have always choosen KDE when Looks matter.

Quick look at accessing applications
Web browser: Konqueror 4.2.2
Office: OpenOffice.org 3.0.1
Print screen: Ksnapshot 0.8.1 (The PrtSc button problem have been fixed)
Terminal: Konsole 2.2.2
System process: (Ctrl + Esc)
Software installer: KPackageKit
Desktop: KDE 4.2.2 (Ctrl + F12) One cool and futuristic desktop for all.
Compression tool: Ark 2.12 (Integrated well with Dolphin)

Others:

1. Initially I could not login to my home wireless network. Had to manually use the iwconfig, it could load automatically there onwards. So, if you have the same problem, open a terminal and type the following to detect your wireless network (e.g. mywireless)
   $ sudo iwlist wlan0 scanning essid looney
2. I could resize the KPanel to a smaller size easily.
3. First site I went with Konqueror was the blogspot.com and all looks good. Only problem is that the default menus during editing of post did not allow me to change the fonts. Only option allowed was spelling, Add image and Preview. A pop-up appeared with the need to install Shockwave Flash plugin but it keeps failing to install. See below for the resolution.
4. Konqueror did not refresh properly when used as a web browser.
5. The Amarok did not have any sound when playing an mp3. The midi file was not supported at all.
6. The add/remove software manager did not seem to function. I cant get a list of software and it kept crashing. I needed to choose "Software Updates" ->Refresh. First thing I did is to install Kubuntu-restricted-extras package.

Post installation recommendations
At the terminal run
$ sudo apt-get install flashplugin-installer msttcorefonts
Open Konqueror, when it ask to install the Flash plugin this will now be successful.

$ sudo apt-get install kubuntu-restricted-extras
This will add JRE, mp3, mpeg, odbc, unrar and other useful support.

$ sudo apt-get install tpb
This will allow the Thinkpad special keys to be available. To install this package, the following package is removed:
hotkey-setup


$ sudo apt-get install gdecrypt password-gorilla
This allows the disk to be encrypted and manage passwords.

$ sudo apt-get install wine wine-gecko
This will allow installation of standard MS Windows based applications.

$ sudo apt-get install ssh sshfs ksshaskpass kdessh
Allow secure SSH connection to and from SSH servers.


Conclusion
Jaunty is a great Linux distro, but those who cannot accept the KDE4 changes should continue with Gnome on Ubuntu Linux.

Laptop connecting to Internet via K810i phone

Almost all mobile phones have internet connection today. In cases where the laptop need to access the internet and the only network device available is the mobile phone, I can run a script and have the mobile service provider charge me pay as you use style.

Here I describe how Kubuntu Intrepid with Kde 4.3 is used to access a Sony Ericsson K810i mobile phone via USB cable. The service provider is DIGI and I have verified that the phone can be used to access the internet.

Step 1:
Ensure that the USB cable connects the K810i to the laptop. On the phone choose "Use mobile phone"

Step 2:
Install wvdial package then use wvdial to setup the basic connection file and detect the mobile phone.

$ sudo apt-get install wvdial
$ wvdialconf

Found an USB modem on /dev/ttyACM0.
Modem configuration written to /etc/wvdial.conf.
ttyACM0: Speed 460800; init "ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0"

Step 3:
Try to dial using the default script. This verifies that the call can be made but setting to the service provider is not working.

$ sudo wvdial

Step 4: Set the K810i to allow usage of the internet.
In K810i choose the menu ->Settings ->Connectivity ->USB ->USB Internet ->Turn on


Step 5:
Edit the script found in /etc/wvdial.conf

[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Modem Type = USB Modem
ISDN = 0
Phone = /dev/ttyACM0
Username = digi
New PPPD = yes
Password = digi
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Baud = 460800

OR configure the script to be able to access bluetooth and USB with different settings

[Dialer Defaults]
Phone =
Username =
Password =
New PPPD = yes

[Dialer Digiusb]
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Baud = 460800
Init = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Init3 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","diginet"
Phone = *99#
Dial Command = ATDT
Username = digi
Password = digi
Ask Password = off
Auto DNS = on
Check Def Route = off
Carrier Check = off
Stupid Mode = on
Auto Reconnect = off
Idle Seconds = 0
Abort on Busy = off
Abort on No Dialtone = off
Dial Attempts = 1

[Dialer DigiBluetooth]
Modem = /dev/rfcomm0
Baud = 460800
Init = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Init3 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","diginet"
Phone = *99#
Dial Command = ATDT
Username = digi
Password = digi
Ask Password = off
Auto DNS = on
Check Def Route = off
Carrier Check = off
Stupid Mode = on
Auto Reconnect = off
Idle Seconds = 0
Abort on Busy = off
Abort on No Dialtone = off
Dial Attempts = 1

Final step:
Log off then log back in (optional). At the prompt, start the Digiusb configuration

$ sudo wvdial Digiusb

Encrypting passwords for web applications

Just heard about security concerns and username/passwords being scanned over the network. This is the weakness of the HTTP protocol. One solution is to use the HTTPS with OpenSSL.

With reference to http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html

Step 1: Install the SSL components
yum install mod_ssl openssl

Step 2: Create the certificates
openssl req -new -key ca.key -out ca.csr
openssl x509 -req -days 365 -in ca.csr -signkey ca.key -out ca.crt
mv ca.crt /etc/pki/tls/certs
mv ca.key /etc/pki/tls/private/ca.key
mv ca.csr /etc/pki/tls/private/ca.csr

Step 3: Configure Apache to use the certificates
vi /etc/httpd/conf.d/ssl.conf

Search for the SSLCertificateFile and SSLCertificateKeyFile lines and point it to the correct TLS directory.

# Server Certificate:
# Point SSLCertificateFile at a PEM encoded certificate. If
# the certificate is encrypted, then you will be prompted for a
# pass phrase. Note that a kill -HUP will prompt again. A new
# certificate can be generated using the genkey(1) command.
SSLCertificateFile /etc/pki/tls/certs/ca.crt
# nicholas

# Server Private Key:
# If the key is not combined with the certificate, use this
# directive to point at the key file. Keep in mind that if
# you've both a RSA and a DSA private key you can configure
# both in parallel (to also allow the use of DSA ciphers, etc.)
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/pki/tls/private/ca.key

Restart apache server

service httpd restart

Step 4: Assign Apache to use a secure folder for the HTTPS while redirecting the port 80 of the HTTP to another folder.
vi /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

NameVirtualHost *:80

</virtualhost *:80>
<directory>
AllowOverride All
</directory>
DocumentRoot /var/www/html
ServerName servername.com
</virtualhost>

NameVirtualHost *:443
<virtualhost *:443>
SSLEngine on
SSLCertificateFile /etc/pki/tls/certs/ca.crt
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/pki/tls/private/ca.key
<directory>
AllowOverride All
</directory>
DocumentRoot /var/www/vhosts/servername/httdocs
ServerName tservername.com
</virtualhost>


Restart Apache server. The virtual host can be verified with the command

httpd -S

Step 5: Test the HTTPS and HTTP
Use a web browser to access with HTTP and HTTPS, both should point to different directory.

Certain web browsers do not know about cacert as a validation server. This can be done easily with following steps.

Step 1. Download from www.cacert.org the Root Certificates for class 1 and 3 PKI keys.
Step 2. Use firefox to add these root keys.
Choose edit ->Preferences ->Advanced ->Encryptions ->View Certificates
Choose Authorities ->Import
Choose both of the root keys that was downloaded
Step 3. Restart the web browser.

Changes are hard to accept

Reading the drama from The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw gave light to how changes just cant be accepted. Pity the glass blower's earnings would be affected by improvement in technology that would reduce breakages of bulbs during transport. Can you imagine some businesses that strive on expected breakdowns and expect paying users to be their released software testers being in the same light?

King Magnus (like my little boy's name) in the play seems to entertain the request of power to be transfered to the ministers. Followup is the thought of a lady that she could replace the queen as she have much more to offer. The finese of Magnus manages so many different issues while maintaining a certain royalty charm.

In dealing with introducing the OpenOffice.org to agencies, some just cannot accept the positive side and to pave way for the future. Concern is just to get past living each day and each report or presentation to be submitted. Worst case is that some software company even comes over to tell the agencies off that their business will be effected. Maybe a little bit of King Magnus is needed.

If anyone have the time, the play is really something decent and naughty that can be enjoyed easily.

Akonadi Basics

The KDE 4 introduced a common framework for applications to store and access mail, calendars, addressbooks, and other PIM data. The reduced the development time of applications that shared data such as the addressbook and calendars.

On Kubuntu the package is called akonadi-server and akonadi-kde. The current version is 1.1.1. Akonadi server supports a number of KDE applications like Akregator · Amarok · digiKam · Dolphin · Dragon Player · Gwenview · JuK · K3b · Kaffeine · Kate · Kdenlive · KDevelop · KGet · KMess · KOffice · Konqueror · Konsole · Kontact · Kopete · KTorrent · Okular
On Wikipedia this is described as reducing the need for space and also collaboration of information between applications.

To demonstrate the use of Akonadi, I started by opening the KDE System Settings and choose the Advanced tab. Choosing the Akonadi Server icon, it says Akonadi server not running. Waited a while, then the server started and I have 2 tabs. In the resources tab I have a std.ics (Calendar), std.vcf (Address book) and Birthdays (self explained). The next tab indicated that the server was running with MySQL database.

Next I proceeded to launch the PIM known as Kontact. I tried adding a New Contact in the Address Book and it works fine. How can I populate this? I dont use KMail to manage my emails address, instead I use Thunderbird. This wont support Akonadi and I cant moved the data across other applications.

Lets try using Kopete (The instant messenger) where I already have a well built list of contacts. I start Kopete and login to my account. From the Kopete menu, choose File ->Export Contacts. Select the Address book called resource (this is the name I set in the Kontact address book). It copies all the messenger contacts along with the photos into Kontact.

I now have a backup of the messenger names on my address book and I can use this to manage my mailing when I decide to use KMail for emails.

Scanning with Kubuntu Intrepid and KDE 4.3

Scanning with Kubuntu Intrepid is easy with Xsane and EPSON Perfection 1250 scanner. XSane is GPL and is currently at version 0.995

Step 1:
sudo apt-get install xsane xsane-doc

Step 2:
Plug in the USB connection to the computer and from the KMenu choose Application ->Graphics ->XSane

You can see that the scanner is detected by typing the command

lsusb

Step 3:
In the XSane Window leave all as default except the settings for;
Viewer
File location and name (I choose a PDF name)
Type by ext
Color/Lineart/Monocrome
Resolution to minimum 150

Step 4:
In the XSane Preview Window, choose Full Size then "Acquire Preview". When this is done the first time, it takes a while.

In the XSane Window, press "Scan". Make sure it is the image that you want and continue by choosing File ->Save Image.

Note:
To scan multiple pages into one PDF, change the Viewer to multipages.

Ubuntu Manual in Bahasa Malaysia

There are lots of documentation on Ubuntu Linux. For those looking for a Bahasa Malaysia version, an 8 Mb documentation that can be easily understood by most level of users that is compiled by Zulkifli b Abdullah. See Malay Ubuntu

Good job!

Setting up printer for Kubuntu

The KDE system on Kubuntu uses network discovery to find the available printers. This means, users do not need to manually add printers. This is done in 2 steps.

Step 1:
At the KMenu choose Applications ->System ->Printer Configuration.

Step 2:
Choose Server settings and check the "Show printers shared by other systems". Press "Apply".

Users need to wait for about a min for the first time discovery of the printers. Press Ok and test the printings.

OpenOffice.org Best Practice

1. Introduction

This document describes best practices to improve operational efficiencies in creating and exchange of office electronic documents. This list is not meant to be lengthy and too technical. Only the Writer, Calc and Impress is covered in this document.

Comments are invited to improve this list.

2. MANAGEMENT MATTERS

Policies

1. Provide a standard version of OpenOffice.org installed on all stations.

   1. There are many distributions of OpenOffice.org such as Sun OpenOffice.org, StarOffice and Go-OO that provide the latest stable versions.

2. Provide a list of standard extensions and its version that should be installed in all OpenOffice.org installed.

3. Ensure that the version of OpenOffice.org is kept updated.

Default Documents

1. The standard file formats for saving must be determined.

   1. Currently Open Document Format (ODF) 1.2 is recommended.

   2. For archiving purpose, the Portable Document Format (PDF) is to be used.

2. In the OpenOffice.org User Data option, all fields must be filled correctly.

   1. This allows tracking of changes in documents correctly.

3. STANDARD FORMATTING

Templates

1. The following is to be made available to all users

   1. A template of default styles. Users can load the template or just the styles from the Styles and Formatting dialog box.

   2. Relevant templates of commonly used documents should be made available to users.

2. The templates are to provide the default values for formatting. This includes;

   1. Page size

   2. Font Type and Size

   3. Amount of line spacings

Creating documents

1. All new documents should be created from an existing template.

2. If no suitable template is available, the user may use the default template.

3. Intial stage of document creation should emphasize on its contents and flow. Once the basic structure of the document is ready, use the Styles and Formatting dialog box to apply the required styles.

Using MS Office documents

1. Use the Document Converter tool to identify possible errors.

Format layout

1. Paragraphs should be format using pre-defined styles. Where possible, avoid formatting characters and paragraphs directly.

2. Use Heading styles for grouping of topics into logical structures. The order should be Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on.

3. Change or create heading styles to suite the document.

   1. Do not skip heading levels.

4. All hyperlinks must be descriptive.

5. Use bullets or numbered list. Manual characters used as bullets or numbering should not be used.

6. When copying bullets or list from another document, paste as plain text to avoid loss of current formatting.

Graphics

1. Graphic elements such as images, diagrams or charts in a document must have information about those graphics in the text of the document.

2. When copying graphics into documents that are to be sent out, ensure that the links are broken.

   1. In Writer menu choose, Edit ->Links.

3. Avoid flashing, blinking and similar animated text.

Tables

1. Rows in a table that is the heading must be format as Table Heading style.

2. Normal rows in a table must be format as Table Contents style.

Printing documents with Writer

1. In the print option, uncheck the “Print automatically inserted blank pages”.

4. PRESENTATION WITH IMPRESS

General

1. Each slide should use the predefined slide layout.

   1. Tables should be added with the tables layout.

   2. Charts should be added with the chart layout.

   3. Column arrangement should be done with the predefined layout where possible.

2. News slides should be built with the Outline View. This will focus on content before beautification is taken place.

Audio and Movies

1. All audio and movie embedded must use the standard format that is supported by OpenOffice.org

   1. Audio: MPEG, OGG, 3GPP

   2. Video: Quick time, AVI, MPEG, OGG, Divx, FLV

2. Audio and Movies should be only one for each slide.

   1. This will reduce the need for extremely high memory usage.

5. SPREADSHEET WITH CALC

General

1. Use row and column headers extensively and avoid ambiguity within these headers. Make them clear and self-explanatory.

   1. Use the Heading and Heading 1 styles

2. All sheets must be given descriptive names.

3. Use region names for individual or group of cells.

   1. This allows functions to refer to specific cells.

   2. Users can use the Go-To tool, to quickly moved around the spreadsheet.

6. OTHER ISSUES

Macros

1. Usage of macros should be minimized.

2. Use the extensions to add functionality to OpenOffice.org

   1. Extension support the programming language in Java, Python and C++

Preserving electronic data with office suites

Anyone trying to open a document created by Microsoft (MS) Office will find that they need to upgrade to support the .docx, .pptx and .xlsx. This is understandable since they are newer formats. Same goes for those opening ODF1.2 would be better off with OpenOffice.org (OOo) 3.

But for those who have been archiving documents in MS Word for Windows 1.x and 2.x will now find that MS Word 2007 cannot open such files. Yup, you wont be able to open such files as mentioned in MS website. Yup reality, one of the mainstream and widely used software provider just showed that they can indeed drop support of their own document support. Below is what you can find at their website.


Fortunately, OOo3 can be used to open such files if needed.

Data arvhiving for the Future
How to preserve such data? Best practices (none found documented) from experience, two copies need to be saved. An editable and non-editable.

1. Non editable files, save as PDF or PS (postscript).
2. Editable word processor files (why the need to edit archives?), save as RTF (ruch text format) or ODF (open document format).
3. Editable spreadsheet files, save as ODF (open document format). This preserves the formulas among other complexities.
4. Editable presentation files, save as ODF (open document format).
   

Improving OpenOffice.org3 performance (basic)

OpenOffice.org (OOo) can be improved based on how it is used by the user. This means there is no single solution. Recently, during a demo my OOo froze! So I needed to find the fault.

Here I take it that you are a normal user with 1GB RAM PC and having Internet access. In the beginning
soffice.bin -> 17,724K memory, 55,044K shared memory.

1. Start OpenOffice.org Writer. In the menu choose Tools ->Options ->OpenOffice.org ->Memory.
   
2. The Undo, Number of Steps should be reduce to your normal figure. Over the last 2 weeks, I have been compiling the number of undos and I have not used more that 15 undos at one time. Multiply this by 2 and I set it now to 30.
3. Graphics cache, "Use for OpenOffice.org" ->128Mb. Cause I have 1GB RAM.
4. Graphics cache, "Memory per Object" ->20MB. This is the charts and graphics I create in documents.
   
5. Graphics cache, "Cache for inserted object" ->20 objects. I have only used most objects in the Impress documents.
   

After the above alterations, my memory usage was averaged as below.
soffice.bin -> 16,956K memory, 53,224K shared memory.

Not much but its a start. You will get the idea, work on the average number of documents that you will open at one time. In Kubuntu, only one process is created for however many OOo applications that are opened. Which I have tested for upto 30 documents opened at a time. I have not tested OOo3 behaviour on MS Windows at this moment. Will be looking for feedback on this.