Opensource Life

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2011-09-24T12:27:00.002+02:00

BACK........

Installing TTF Fonts in GNOME

2010-08-23T17:29:00.003+02:00

1. Open a nautilus window. Type "fonts:///".

2. Open another nautilus window. Browse to the directory where your ttf fonts are.

3. Drag and drop ttf fonts from your font window (Step 2) to main font window (Step 1).
Notice: You wont see the dropped files immediately in nautilus.

4. Now you should see the fonts in .fonts directory in your home directory.

5. Logout.

Gentoo Mirrors: Mixed IPv4/IPv6 rotations

2010-08-21T12:05:00.000+02:00

Prenote: According to tunnelbroker.net there are only 426 days until IPv4 exhaustion, at the time of this writing.

You might have seen me say that the mirror-admin team will support IPv6 rotations “soon” multiple times. It took much discussion, mainly because it is a low priority subject, and thus much time as well. I say it is low priority because on our official IPv6 (rsync.ipv6.gentoo.org) rotation we only see about ~10-15 client syncs per day out of ~23000. Yes, there will be some stats generated “soon” for some value of soon . We decided to move away from dedicated v4 and v6 rotations and instead used mixed rotations.

But, I digress, the point of this post is to highlight that the rsync.de.gentoo.org rotation will be the first to get full IPv6 support. That is, if the sponsor has IPv6. I just added one IPv6 mirror to the rotation now. In a few days, I’ll make a call to other members in the de rotation and then it will be declared full support to the extent possible. From there, the timeline will go something like this:

Call for more .de mirrors that have IPv6 to get added to the rotation
Call for the rest of the community mirrors that have IPv6 to get added to the rotations, not just .de.
Wait some time to let that settle out and see if there are any problems that develop.
Enable mixed rotations on the country rotations using the individual country v6 addresses collected above.
Enable mixed rotation on rsync.gentoo.org and deprecate rsync.ipv6.gentoo.org

For clients, the default behavior of rsync on an IPv6 capable system is to use IPv6 if the DNS query returns some v6 address. If you want to explicitly use IPv4 you need to pass “-4″ to rsync. You can specify that in /etc/make.conf with the PORTAGE_RSYNC_EXTRA_OPTS variable. Rsync does the proper thing most of the time as my testing has revealed. With that said, I don’t anticipate any issues here, but please file a bug to mirror-admins if something comes up. I would be very interested in hearing about it. I’m assuming no issues, so the future plans will not be announced and it will just happen.

Auto_increment fun!

2010-08-21T12:04:00.000+02:00

Discovered some fun things in MySQL today..

Set the variable @id to 0:
SET @id = 0;

Update the column id to be id + 1 – this will re-index your id column in one fell swoop. Very nice:
UPDATE tblname SET id = (@id := @id + 1);

Set the first value for an auto_increment column:
ALTER TABLE tblname AUTO_INCREMENT = 196;
(this won’t work if there are rows with a higher value already in the table)

All in all, a few nice bits and pieces for cleaning up your tables.

MySQL 5 and old clients (like php4)

2010-08-21T12:03:00.000+02:00

Warning: mysql_connect(): Client does not support authentication protocol requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client in /blah/somepage.php on line 123

The reason for this warning is because PHP4 can’t communicate with a MySQL5 server unless it’s using old passwords (set by using the OLD_PASSWORD() function below.)

There are two simple ways to fix this. The first would be to upgrade your version of php. Unless you *really* need php4 (or below?!) upgrade! I’m not sure php4 is supported any more and should be considered a security risk. If you can’t upgrade, just do this in your database:

update mysql.user set password=OLD_PASSWORD('thepassword') where user = 'theusername';
and:
flush privileges;

This should do the trick. Be warned, if you issue any GRANT statements after this you will have to update mysql.user again.

ACM

2010-07-18T08:18:00.002+02:00

Now

I am Professional member of ACM

ACM, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession.

Living with Linux

2010-07-12T22:56:00.000+02:00

As you all know I am a Linux Lover. If you didn't know then you do now :) I use Linux at home, at work and I will blather on about it given half of a quarter of a chance. So what! You may think. Just another pot bellied four eyed long haired geek who still wishes he had his pocket protector. True, I am one of those people, although I never had a pocket protector and my belly is quite a bit larger than a pot :) I was the same sort of person when I was just as in love with windows as I now am with Linux. The person I am has not changed, except for domestication caused by marriage. Just the operating system.

I still do use windows occasionally for some things at work and for compiling the windows versions of my parts catalogue program. I use windows so little that it does not even deserve a separate partition on my hard drive. I run it under a virtual box session so I never need to reboot my computer, which runs 24/7. Even when I was a windows advocate my computer ran 24/7. Computers should run 24/7 so they can do work and plot with each other over the internet about how to take over the world :)

Right now I am not at my usual place typing this article. I am currently sitting in a house, over 400 kilometres away (you guys who have twelve fingers and toes can convert it yourselves :) typing this on my daughters laptop. This laptop is, of course, running Linux. It took a while but my daughter was finally fed up with the speed and virus infestations of her windows and asked for Linux to be installed.

There is also, next to me, another faster, newer shinier laptop which I can use. It runs windows. I have used it once to check my mail before I pulled this laptop out of the car. Only once and only for a very short time and I will explain why.

I was scared to use the windows laptop! It was a previously unseen machine and I had no idea what state it was in. As a computer professional and knowing the ways of windows I was understandably wary of what junk could be on that laptop. So what was the first thing I did? I checked the anti-virus program to make sure it was up to date and had no virus's. Somewhat assured I checked my mail and closed it down quickly. Even though I saw that the windows machine had been protected by a better than average user I still didn't trust it. When we pulled my daughters laptop out of the car I booted it up and did my banking work in a Linux environment that I knew I could trust.

Be assured that I am not trying to be a Linux is safe, windows is rotten campaigner. Not in this article anyway :) This is exactly how I felt and always feel when I come across a windows machine. This is not a good feeling and I really don't like it but it is there. This is what happens in real life. I don't want to plug in anything to, or use, a windows machine unless I have properly vetted the machine for virus's. Unfortunately I can't always do that and have been bitten.

This happened to me with a relatives windows computer. They appeared to be quite knowledgeable with computers and certainly were not a clueless (l)user. They even had antivirus running and I had also done a scan before plugging in my flip video camera (thanks ITtoolbox!). The antivirus program did not pick up any malware but that computer still infected my flip camera. As I found out when I plugged it back into my Linux system and saw the damage that virus had done. So, once bitten and twice shy as they say, I do not want to even touch a windows computer if I can help it. At least windows computers that I do not have complete control over.

In my life before Linux I also had the same feelings with other computers. It seems to be a part of knowledgeable windows users life to be unsure. Unsure if the computer has virus's, unsure if it has other malware or not. Unsure about their computer integrity and safe useage. It is a sad state of affairs but it is true, unless these people are using rose coloured glasses and refusing to see the danger.

When I am using Linux I have no worries about that sort of stuff. I am not scared to go and do my banking online. I feel that my computing integrity is not so easily compromised when I am on a Linux machine. I know that when I plug in my flip camera or memory stick I will not be left with a nasty present. For me, my life with Linux is comfortable, safe and secure. I feel sorry for those who cannot use their computers with the same sort of feeling. At least those who know about the dangers of computer malware. Yes I do know that there is malware and malicious users for Linux as well. I also know that I am ninety percent more likely to be shafted by a windows computer than a Linux one.

Yes, a properly looked after and protected windows computer is safe. As is a misconfigured Linux computer unsafe. What are the chances of coming across the former compared to the latter? What are the chances of being stung by a windows machine compared to a Linux one? You tell me in the comments. I already know what I think :)

"I get paid to support Windows, I use Linux to get work done."

Love

2010-07-09T20:28:00.003+02:00

Who the Hell Do U think U are?!!! Yes U're My Love! But first Love And not even The last ;) Lies Lies Lies! Free lies :X So I give Them To U for Free:) Go Away =) Im gonna Find a better LOVE! haha

June / July

2010-07-08T06:15:00.012+02:00

June 12th was my last day at FarsiWeb.
July 5th was my last day at International Open Source Network.
But In a couple of weeks I will start working for...
July 12th back to iran .
July 25th I am @ Netherlands without my best Friend. :((
That’s all for June and July.
Now ! Spanish ! :))

Interesting links...

2010-06-15T11:56:00.000+02:00

Being a part of the FOSS community means exchanging ideas... constantly. Well I definitely received a lot of ideas over the weekend at SouthEast LinuxFest. Lots of people from various geographic locations and different communities coming together is always a good thing!

So I collected a few URLs that I thought were worth passing along...

http://opensource.com/
Red Hat's "why to be opensource" website. Very good information.

http://whatwillweuse.com/
Apparently this page was created as a bet to see whether or not Microsoft would have a majority market share by SELF 2011. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

http://www.slideshare.net/macoafi/sysadmins-rosetta-stone
Mackenzie Morgan's presentation from last year's Ohio Linux Fest for Sysadmins.

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Southeast_LinuxFest
A study on women in technology and more specifically what are the trends of women presenters at area linux fests. Good to see the trend on the upswing.

What is new in Fedora 13 ?

2010-05-14T09:53:00.000+02:00

Automatic Print Driver Installation : gutenprint-packages such as cups, hpijs and pbm2l2030 must be installed on demand when the hardware that require drivers are detected.

Color Management : Color Manager GNOME session is a framework that makes it easy to handle, install and create color profiles in the GNOME desktop

Easier Debugging Python : The gdb debugger has been extended so that it can communicate detailed information about the inner workings of Python 2 and Python 3 runtimes

3D Support: In Fedora 12 experimental support for 3D through-mesa-dri package-experimental drivers for ATI cards became available and has been expanded in Fedora 13 to support the systems through Nouveau Nvidia Driver.

PulseAudio Integration KDE : Fedora 13 offers a better integration of PulseAudio in Phonon KDE and KMix

Bluetooth DUN NetworkManager: NetworkManager now supports easy-to-use Bluetooth Dial-Up Networking (DUN) support.

Include include Gnome 2.30.

Mobile NetworkManager Status : The NetworkManager applet shows the current signal strength, technology (GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSPA or 1x/EVDO etc), and roaming status while connected to the cards which support this functionality.

Fedora 13 SC have KDE 4.4, GNOME 2.30, support NFSv4, RPM 4.8, support both Python 3 and Python 2.x, OpenOffice.org 3.2.0, the Sugar desktop 0.88 (famous for its integration into the XO laptop One Laptop Per Child project), Firefox 3.6.2, and Upstart 0.6.0.

How to Root login on Ubuntu 10.04

2010-05-14T09:51:00.000+02:00

Ubuntu root access was blocked by default for GUI. For Enabling This you need to reset password for root.

once password for root is reset. You can login root on GUI using Other.. option available on Login Screen

Use the following command to Reset root password

$ sudo passwd root

Remove Mint and Welcome Karmic

2010-04-14T16:41:00.000+02:00

It seems that Mint users are not as much as i thought, so after some consideration, i deleted the Linux Mint repository. After all, the repository is very small, as most of Linux Mint's packages are taken from Ubuntu Karmic Koala, so i guess it's better to have Karmic's repository, so it can be used by Linux Mint users and also Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) users.

So few hours ago, i started to modify the rsync script to add Karmic repository for i386 and amd64 architecture. I don't know how much space is needed to add this repository, but i'm hoping that it will be finished by tomorrow morning.

How To hide Apache2 version Information from hackers

2010-04-12T01:36:00.002+02:00

Some times we need to hide apache banner information, because hackers check version details, before attacking a sever, If you close this door, it is more difficult for them to exploit any system holes and thus making vulnerability scanners work harder and in some cases impossible without knowing version information.

Do the following steps
Modify /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
Change the ServerSignature on to ServerSignature Off
Change the ServerTokens full to: ServerTokens Prod
Restart Apache: /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

How to start PHP Programming. Write your First Program in PHP

2010-04-12T01:28:00.005+02:00

Here I will show how to start php programming. Lot of my friends like php, but there is a starting trouble. This will help you to write your first php program.

You need to install LAMP (Linux Apache, Mysql, PHP )Server.

Now you can check your Apache webserver

Open a browser (firefox) and type http:// 127.0.0.1 in address bar

It Shows " It Works "

Now you can test your PHP

See your server root is pointed to the folder /var/www by default. So you have to save your programs in /var/www. But There is a problem, you can't write in to the folder /var/www as ordinary user, it needs root privilege . (I am using gksu for solving this proble, it will ask for your sudo password)

open a terminal type the following

$cd /var/www

$ gksu gedit helloworld.php

write the program

now save and quit

open browser (firefox)

type the following in the address bar
http://127.0.0.1/helloworld.php

Now You will get the result in the browser

" hello world"

Now your First PHP program is Working

write valuable comments for helping php beginners

Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 2

2010-04-10T22:27:00.000+02:00

I have downloaded the latest Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 2 and install it on VMWare. Unlike the previous Beta, this version works and i can use it without any problem. The first beta couldn't finish the installation and the installer crashed during copying the files.

My first impression about 10.04 is the speed. It loads very fast even on VMWare and i can get into login prompt in less than 5 seconds. If you enable auto login, you will get your desktop in less than 10 seconds. That's very nice of it.
Another thing that is unique in 10.04 is the left-orientation of the window control buttons, such as close, minimize, and maximize button. It's like what we see in Mac OS X. It seems that Ubuntu designers have adopted Mac-like design. I hope users will not complain about this.

Essential Keyboard shortcuts in Ubuntu Linux

2010-04-08T19:31:00.002+02:00

Keyboard Shortcuts will increse your efficiency of Computer user. Here you can see some essential shortcuts for ubuntu

Desktop Shortcuts

* Alt + F1: Open main menu.Use up/down/right/left arrow keys to select in Applications/Places/System.
* Alt + F2: Run Application.This will bring up a window,type command to run an application.
* Print Screen: Make a screenshot of whole screen.
* Alt + Print Screen: Make a screenshot of current window.

Windows Short Cuts

* Alt + F4: Close the current window.
* Alt+F5 Returns window to 'normal' or previous size.
* Alt+F7 Moves the current window
* Alt+F8 Resizes current window
* Ctrl + Alt + d: This will minimize all windows and apps,and bring you to desktop.
* Alt + F9: Minimize the current window.
* Alt + F10: Maximize the current window.
* Alt + Tab: Switch in windows.

System Short Cuts

Ctrl + Alt + Delete - Restart the computer immediately, without saving open files
Ctrl + Alt + BackSpace-Restart X Windows
Ctrl + Alt + Plus (numeric keypad) - Rotate through supported screen resolutions
Ctrl + Alt + Minus (numeric keypad) - Rotate backwards through supported screen resolutions
Ctrl + Alt + F1 --- F5 - Open Virtual Terminal
Ctrl + Alt + F7 - Return to Graphics screen from Virtual Terminal

Kubuntu

2010-04-08T19:29:00.001+02:00

I'm also testing the new kubuntu on my vmware (currently, it's still installing at the time i wrote this blog post). It's Kubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 and i will try to update all the packages using the repo that i have created.

Modeling Tools for Linux

2010-04-07T01:52:00.001+02:00

If you are looking for UML or any other development tools on Linux platform, don't forget to check it's download page

GNOME 2.30 Build Order

2010-04-06T19:44:00.003+02:00

Before you read and use this order, I'm warning you that this order was used by me on fedora Current version. So I can guarantee that this order will be able to used on other fedora version.

Below is my GNOME 2.30 build order, compiled from GSB list (thanks for GSB Dev Team) and JHBUILD modules list. Most of the used patches came from GSB repo, several are taken from Fedora and Gentoo.

Viva ! Fedora 13 Alpha Now Available!!!

2010-04-04T17:36:00.001+02:00

"The Fedora 13 'Goddard' alpha release is Now available. Now it supports automatic Printer Installation, You can Plug and Play your USB Printers in Fedora 13. It supports automatic installation of language packs; redesigned user management interface; color management to better set and control your colors for displays, printers, and scanners; NetworkManager improvements include Command Line Interface; experimental 3D extended to free Nouveau driver for NVIDIA cards." Firefox 3.6.1 included. Linux kernel 2.6.32, Greater suport for webcams. Fedora 13 alpha comes with KDE 4.4.

Download Fedora 13

iPad

2010-04-04T17:34:00.001+02:00

Today, Apple officially released IPad, their newest product in their Apple Store. As usual, people lining up to get their hand on the product. They even willing to sleep outside the Apple Store to get it. Having Apple products is like a miracle and believe it or not, it makes other people starring at you for some time, making you like a celebrity instantly.

As you can see in the picture above, that guy has become popular since he is holding IPad. It's an easy way to get famous instantly

For a detailed review, please check on Engadget

LiVES: Video Editing for Linux

2010-04-03T22:05:00.000+02:00

Today, i browsed some sites and then i saw LiVES, a video editing tool system for Linux platform. This is the application i have been searching for some time. I have tried to compile and install other applications, but most of them failed due to unsatisfied dependencies.

This application does have lots of dependencies, but in the end, i managed to install this after fulfilling all the dependencies from Slackbuilds project and now it's running very well on my desktop.

If you want to try a nice video editing tool for Linux, try this on and i hope you like it as i like it

GNOME 2.30

2010-04-03T10:37:00.001+02:00

Done!
I have rebuilt all of my GNOME 2.30 core packages, upgraded all of GNOME applications packages.

Creating Ubuntu Repository

2010-04-03T10:28:00.001+02:00

Viva
Right now, i'm trying to build a Ubuntu repository for my campus ;)

Towards the future and a better life

2010-04-02T19:18:00.003+02:00

End nowroz holidays

So I am very happy !!!!

Install Windows Applications in Linux (Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora/Madriva) with Crossover 9.0

2010-04-02T18:25:00.001+02:00

CodeWeavers latest version of CrossOver for Linux and Mac has been released. . CrossOver 9.0 (codenamed “Snow Mallard”) is a commercial software that helps installing Windows applications via Wine easily for Linux users. It is a well tested software. But it is not a free software. CrossOver costs $39.95 for the standard version, or $69.95 for the pro version. But it is worth for your money.
CrossOver 9 has a very good user interface. It help you to install your windows applications in a few clicks. CrossOver also downloads and installs any needed frameworks, fonts, and plugins. It has a feature "Community Supported Applications" , this will help you to install unsupported windows applications with the help of a growing community support.

Another Method for restore the default gnome-desktop-panels in Ubuntu Linux

2010-04-02T18:23:00.000+02:00

Now an Alternate Method for restoring default gnome desktop
Open a Terminal and type the following:

gconftool –recursive-unset /apps/panel (All panels will disappear)
rm -rf ~/.gconf/apps/panel
pkill gnome-panel

Firefox 3.6.3 Released

2010-04-02T17:58:00.000+02:00

Firefox 3.6.2 was proven breakable in the Pwn2Own contest, but the problem is now fixed with the release of Firefox 3.6.3 just now. The detail of the problem can be seen in Mozilla's advisory or in their BugZilla.

I personally didn't expect this quick update. I was just clicking on the Check for Updates and i saw the update. What a coinsidence :))

Installing Open Office in Fedora 12

2010-04-02T00:37:00.002+02:00

Here is the simple step that describes how to install Open Office in Fedora 12.

yum -y install openoffice.org-core openoffice.org-calc openoffice.org-base openoffice.org-draw openoffice.org-impress openoffice.org-langpack-es openoffice.org-writer hunspell-es openoffice.org-extendedPDF

GNOME 2.30 has been released

2010-04-02T00:06:00.001+02:00

Today, the GNOME Project celebrates the release of GNOME 2.30, the latest version of the popular, multi-platform free desktop environment and of its developer platform. Released on schedule, to the day, GNOME 2.30 builds on top of a long series of successful six months releases to offer the best experience to users and developers.

Linux Portable

2010-03-30T16:54:00.001+02:00

You might have seen a lot of LiveCD-based Linux distribution nowadays. But do you know that Linux can also be used in a flash-disk and being a portable Linux distribution that you can carry on everywhere you like?

Take a look on LinuxPenDrive to see lots of tutorials about how to make your flash disk running Linux

I'm sick

2010-03-30T11:36:00.000+02:00

Be Back Soon ...

What is GNOME?

2010-03-29T14:01:00.002+02:00

Some people asked me "What is GNOME?"
The GNOME project provides two things: The GNOME desktop environment, an intuitive and attractive desktop for users, and the GNOME development platform, an extensive framework for building applications that integrate into the rest of the desktop

GNOME is...

Free

GNOME is Free Software and part of the GNU project, dedicated to giving users and developers the ultimate level of control over their desktops, their software, and their data. Find out more about the GNU project and Free Software at gnu.org.

Usable

GNOME understands that usability is about creating software that is easy for everyone to use, not about piling on features. GNOME's community of professional and volunteer usability experts have created Free Software's first and only Human Interface Guidelines, and all core GNOME software is adopting these principles. Find out more about GNOME and usability at the GNOME Usability Project.

Accessible

Free Software is about enabling software freedom for everyone, including users and developers with disabilities. GNOME's Accessibility framework is the result of several years of effort, and makes GNOME the most accessible desktop for any Unix platform. Find out more at the GNOME Accessibility Project.

International

GNOME is used, developed and documented in dozens of languages, and we strive to ensure that every piece of GNOME software can be translated into all languages. Find out more at the GNOME Translation Project.

Developer-friendly

Developers are not tied to a single language with GNOME. You can use C, C++, Python, Perl, Java, even C#, to produce high-quality applications that integrate smoothly into the rest of your Unix or GNU/Linux (commonly referred to as Linux) desktop.

Organized

GNOME strives to be an organized community, with a foundation of several hundred members, usability, accessibility, and QA teams, and an elected board. GNOME releases are defined by the GNOME Release Team and are scheduled to occur every six months.

Supported

Beyond the worldwide GNOME Community, GNOME is supported by the leading companies in GNU/Linux and Unix, including HP, IBM, Mandriva, Novell, Red Hat, and Sun. Find out more at foundation.gnome.org.

Reference:http://www.gnome.org

.la Removal

2010-03-29T11:51:00.000+02:00

I've decided to remove all .la files from my own build packages since those files doesn't have anything to do with the executable binaries. Some says that some program needs this .la files to load the binary. But in all of my packages i can assure that this files are unneeded. Any suggestion to this?

This is the lines that will remove all the .la files from my packages, taken from AUR documentation:

find $PKG -name '*.la' -exec rm {} \;

Feel free to used it, with your own risk.

invited to the Netherlands

2010-03-28T19:32:00.003+02:00

Mohammad Was invited to the Netherlands((July,24-30th) for the Conference

For more information, click on the link

http://live.gnome.org/GUADEC/2010/mjabbasi

SQL Injection

2010-03-28T16:38:00.000+02:00

If you're writing web application that has access to database, then you should be aware that those application are susceptible to SQL Injection attacks which leave information stored in your database vulnerable from a malicious cracker.

This can led attacker to access private areas in your web application, steal sensitive information, erase your database or alter certain information in the database for his own gain. Therefore it is prudent to safeguard your web application by filtering unsafe input variables before inputting them into SQL statements.

How crackers perform SQL Injection
Here is a list of common SQL injection technique employed by malicious users across the internet.

Another good read that I suggest is SQL Injection by examples which provide great explanation of how SQL Injection attacks are performed.

Catch me on twitter

2010-03-26T16:41:00.001+01:00

I finally decided to get on twitter since I’ve been rarely had the time to update my blog anymore. So for those who are interested to follow my daily updates can do so by following my twits (username: jcyberjay).

Should a Python programmer be paid higher than a PHP / Perl / Java programmer ?

2010-03-26T13:47:00.000+01:00

This question might sound stupid, but I have been wondering about this. Say I hire two developers with similar experience and expertise in my company. One is for a Python project and another one is for Java project. Should they get same compensation? A couple of years back, when I heard about Python from one of my senior friend (who is a CTO of a software firm, a very experienced guy), he told me that he likes Python because, development speed is lot faster in this language. He, from his experience believes that if a project takes six months to be completed using Java, four months should be good enough if it's done using Python. He was also planning for a project where he choose Python, and his logic was, he will use four Python developers for the project and if he choose Java instead of Python, it would take 10 developers to complete the project (same time frame). Then I said to him, "so, are you going to pay higher to the Python devs?" ... he just smiled :) ...

So folks, what do you think? Should the Python devs get more? Share your thoughts.

miss her when she’s not there

2010-03-26T12:49:00.007+01:00

miss her when she’s not there

How to Pick a Linux Distro (Distribution)

2010-03-26T08:56:00.000+01:00

Entering the Linux World
As I have embarked on finding the right Linux distro I have observed a great deal about the Linux world. Where Linux is quite popular in other countries, there is an undercurrent of Linux users in the US. Now, I know there are probably hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people even in the US that use Linux, but compared to the Microsoft Windows users out there, that is a drop in the bucket. Generally, this minority of Linux users are intelligent people that enjoy using Linux for it's power and stability. This great strength of the community is also it's biggest problem. Since there are lots of smart people using Linux (that seem to already know how to use it), good and understandable instructions on using it are often hard to come by, or lack thoroughness at best. So as I searched for the "best" Linux distro, there wasn't much help that was immediately available. (Unlike what you would find for Windows)

Which Linux Distro is the "BEST"?
I was in search for the best distro, and all I could really find is, "There is no 'best.' It comes down to a matter of personal preference." Which is no help to a newb like me... I want some good pros and cons about a particular distro and more importantly, concise and easily "digestible." Give me bullet points dammit! So as I Googled around I stumbled across a really neat site geared for the most ignorant computer user or an experienced Linux user wanting to try something new. When I go into a store and I am seriously comparing some products, I am looking for a sales rep to sell me on a particular brand. Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to buy it, but I want some convincing reasons to buy one product over the other. Of course I will take this info and scour the Internet and read forums and user opinions. But I want someone to tell me what they think I should buy! This site does that for me.

The Linux Distro Test
Zegenie Studios has an easy little test with relevant questions for the most novice Linux user. Answer each question honestly and it will point you to what suites your Linux "skills" the most. I have taken the test numerous times and have massaged the answers a little differently each time. (Which I would recommend) The top three recommendations I received over and over were 1. Ubuntu 2. Mandriva One and 3. PCLinuxOS. There were a few extra distros that almost made the cut including: Kubuntu, Mepis and Xandros. One of my main criteria was FREE. I don't want to pay for what, in my mind, is unproven. Another neat feature that I would suggest is a "Live CD". This is basically a bootable CD that allows you to check out the distro, without having to fully commit a piece of your hard drive to this new (and shall I say foreign) operating system. There are lots of instructions on how to boot your computer with a CD, especially on the individual distribution sites themselves. There are also great differences in how some these distributions work, so take a look and read the FAQ and Wikis at each site. And once you have chosen a distribution read, read, read, read, read.

You broke into my heart

2010-03-25T18:07:00.000+01:00

Do you remember what I was when we first met? I'd built walls around my heart, gated them, and thrown away the key. I had been hurt, I told you from the beginning. I'd been used, tricked, played with, but most of all, hurt. I thought it best to never fall in love again. So I locked my heart.

You figured it out quite soon. I said don't fall in love with me. I cannot fall in love with you. I won't. I'm too hurt, too damaged, too afraid to go through all of this once more. I'd decided love was just a scam. So we became friends, and that was okay with me, and with you. And it was all nice and comforting and I let myself trust you.

You would listen to me for hours, as we talked about everything and nothing. You learned why I wasn't willing to let anyone love me, and though you said you would never do that kind of a thing to me, I wasn't ready to trust you to test it out. I kept my walls intact even when I started remembering where I'd thrown the key. It was the only way to keep myself from falling in love.
But then something happened. I woke up three weeks ago and realised that I love you. And you said you love me, and you cannot promise we will be forever but you can promise not to hurt me. I believed you. I still didn't realize how I'd come to love you, how you came to find the key to my heart.

Now I know. You didn't find the key. You broke into my heart, and I let you. Just don't break my heart.

How to find cause of heavy usage on your Apache webserver

2010-03-25T11:15:00.000+01:00

Here's a quick and dirty tips on how to find cause of heavy CPU resources usage on your Apache webserver (especially when running php scripts).

First you need to locate the Apache 2 "access.log" file. By default in Ubuntu, this file is located in "/var/logs/apache2" directory.

Then you need to run this command to find out which IP address accesses your website the most in a short time.

CODE:

tail -10000 access.log| awk '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c |sort -n

The output of the command should contain a list of IP addresses along with the number of hits it made in the last 10,000 access of your website

CODE:

47 117.58.252.98
81 202.124.242.186
84 202.124.245.26
182 194.164.101.217
220 208.101.22.146
225 72.167.131.144
3946 93.135.xxx.xxx

From here you can easily locate the offending ip address and proceed to block it from accessing your website further using .htaccess file or other blocking method.

Here is an example to block certain ip address from accessing your website using .htaccess file

CODE:

order deny,allow
deny from 93.135.xxx.xxx

Save .htaccess file in the root directory of your web server (example /var/www), and the ip address wont be available to access your site again.

Hope that would help you!

I Got Google Buzz

2010-03-25T07:11:00.001+01:00

When i logged in to my GMail account, i got a new notification saying that i already have a chance to enable Google Buzz on my GMail account. Of course i activate it since i'm a bit curious about it. After i enable it, there's a new option called Buzz under Inbox link on the left side of my account and i can add many sites which relates to me so that my post from every site i added will be available on my buzz.

IMHO, Google Buzz is working like Google Wave + Google Reader combined as one application and integrated in GMail. It's a place where you can share everything with others, but in terms of social networks. You can add Twitter and Flickr (besides Google's site such as Blogger and YouTube), but not yet for Plurks. I'm waiting for Plurk to be added to Google Buzz as it's my favorite social network site for now.

Oh well, as always Google always put something interesting on each of it's products

Working hard publishing papers and learning PyGTK

2010-03-24T19:26:00.000+01:00

For the last few weeks I've been working hard to finish up my research project, most of it concerning about on mobile phone application usability and context-aware applications. This leaves me with less time to devote for this blog and I started to realise that I might have a 'burn-out' issue at the same time.

I'm still using Ubuntu in my daily work if you are curious (Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.04 for netbook) and Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope for my Intel Core 2 Duo Desktop PC. Besides writing those research papers, I've use what left of my time to learn PyGTK to enable me to code RAD app for GNU/Linux desktop environment.

I found out the references around the internet regarding PyGTK is very helpful to aid me in understanding the GTK+ bindings in python, which is not much different from its C counterpart.

Now that I've some time to spare until Hari , I'll try to use that time wisely to fill up this blog with a couple more of fresh new posts. So, keep reading!

Why Linux is Better

2010-03-24T19:06:00.000+01:00

Some people asked me "Why would you use Linux?, Isn't it a difficult operating system?" Sometimes, it's hard to convince them that Linux is easy to use (this is my personal opinion, so it's objectable), but people do believe that Linux is more stable and secure than Windows.

For those who have the same questions from other people, ask them to visit this site: Why Linux is better. It lists every pro/cons of using Linux so that people can compare and see why Linux is definitely better than Windows