Linux glossary

svn

tool to manage source code changes (version control system)

xmodmap

utility for modifying keymaps and pointer button mappings in X

bash

Bourne Again SHell, a command line environment

cron

program scheduler

daemon

service

lilo

LInux LOader, boot manager

grub

boot manager

binaries

executable programs

CLI

command line interface

gzip

file compression utility

grep

regular expression based line filter

init

first proces run after OS load

kernel

core of the os, interacts with hw, manages resources

MBR

Master Boot Record, first physical sector on a bootable disk drive

mount

identify disk drive to the file system before use

NFS

Network File System, filesystem that allows sharing of files across the network

open-source

software released with source code

OSS

Open Sound System, sound hardware driver, supports most-popular devices

pipe

|, symbol used to chain commands in shell

POSIX

Portable OS Interface for uniX

redirection

>, symbol used to send program output to a text file

script

set of commands stored in a file

session

period between login and logoff

shell

OS CLI

shell script

script designed to run automatically when a shell is started

superuser

root (admin)

syslog

system logger where all system errors/messages are stored

widget

GUI object (button...)

alias

shell command that allows user to create alias for a command

acroread

pdf viewer

802.11

wireles network (WLAN)

Setting up Thinkpad X41 Tablet in Ubuntu

Fingerprint reader

1. install thinkfinger (sudo apt-get install thinkfinger-tools libpam-thinkfinger)
2. acquire fingerprint (sudo tf-tool --acquire)
3. verify fingerprint (sudo tf-tool --verify)
4. update pam config (sudo gedit /etc/pam.d/common-auth so it contains only these 2 lines: auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so auth required pam_unix.so try_first_pass nullok_secure
   update for ubuntu 8.10: change the according lines in this file so it looks like this: ... # here are the per-package modules (the "Primary" block) auth sufficient pam_thinkfinger.so auth [success=1 default=ignore] pam_unix.so try_first_pass nullok_secure # here's the fallback if no module succeeds ... here is fix for situation when auth won't proceed until you press enter

(thanks to wiki.ubuntu.com/ThinkFinger and thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_enable_the_fingerprint_reader_with_ThinkFinger)

Back/Forward keys

update for ubuntu 8.10: you can skip this step as the keys work out of the box

run sudo gedit /etc/X11/Xmodmap,

add: keycode 234 = XF86Back keycode 233 = XF86Forward
for immediate effect run xmodmap /etc/X11/Xmodmap (Note: this works in hardy, you may need to use Xmodmap instead in older versions of Ubuntu)

Trackpoint scrolling

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf, locate section InputDevice with identifier Configured Mouse, add Option "EmulateWheel" "true" Option "EmulateWheelButton" "2"

update for ubuntu 8.10: how to enable trackpoint in ubuntu 8.10

Stylus

1. install wacom driver (sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-wacom wacom-tools)
2. sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf, add Section "InputDevice" Identifier "stylus" Driver "wacom" Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" Option "Type" "stylus" Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "eraser" Driver "wacom" Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" Option "Type" "eraser" Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "cursor" Driver "wacom" Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom" Option "Type" "cursor" Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" EndSection, locate section ServerLayout, append InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents" InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents" InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"

   update for ubuntu 8.10: Section "InputDevice" Driver "wacom" Identifier "stylus" Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # Change to /dev/input/event for USB Option "Type" "stylus" Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY # Option "KeepShape" "on" # Option "TPCButton" "off" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Driver "wacom" Identifier "eraser" Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # Change to /dev/input/eventfor USB Option "Type" "eraser" Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY # Option "KeepShape" "on" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Driver "wacom" Identifier "cursor" Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0" # Change to /dev/input/event for USB Option "Type" "cursor" Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY # Option "KeepShape" "on" EndSection Section "ServerLayout" Identifier "Default Layout" Screen "Default Screen" InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents" InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents" InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents" EndSection

3. sudo gedit /etc/acpi/resume.d/20-setserial.sh, append #!/bin/bash /bin/setserial /dev/ttyS0 port 0x0200 irq 5 autoconfig and sudo chmod +x /etc/acpi/resume.d/20-setserial.sh

Display rotation

Ubuntu Thinkpad X41 tablet screen rotation

Windows XP installation guide

This guide was written 2 years ago and it might be still useful.

1. install system (Boot PartitionMagic from floppy. Create 3x 20GB partitions. Boot from WinXP Install CD. Install system from CD to first partition)
2. install file manager (Total Commander)
3. install hardware drivers (Install chipset, LAN, graphics, audio, USB, additional hardware,...)
4. install service pack and updates (SP2 is available as a download)
5. set up system
   • Move swap file to dedicated partition (swap) on secondary disk
   • Set fixed letters to disk drives
   • switch off indexing of drive C: (system) and X: (swap)
   • Check startup auto load list: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
   • Change audio card's buffer to 128
   • Disable fast user switching (control panel/user accouns/)
   • Disable unnecessary services in services.msc (Indexing service, Webclient, Time, System Recovery, ...)
   • Speed up menus (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop)
   • Disable NTFS Last Access Time Logging (NTFS Only) (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\FILESYSTEM\NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate=1)
   • Disable Notification Area Balloon Tips (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\EnableBalloonTips=0)
   • Disable CDROM Autoplay (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom\Autorun=0)
   • Disable kernel paging (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive=1 , LargeSystemCache=1)
   • Switch on Folder Options/View/Launch folder windows in separate process (increase stability)
   • ...
6. back up system with Ghost
7. install applications
   • image mounter (Alcohol 120%)
   • cd burner (Nero)
   • web browser (Mozilla Firefox)
   • ...

Ubuntu hotkeys

global

• alt + F1 = open panel menu
• alt + F2 = open panel run dialog
• ctrl + ins = copy
• shift + ins = paste
• (alt) + printscreen = take (window) screenshot
• ctrl + alt + arrow keys = switch workspace
• ctrl + alt + tab +arrow keys = cycle between panels and desktop
• ctrl + alt + d = desktop
• ctrl + alt + backpace = restart session
• shift + F10 = context menu

windows

• alt + tab = switch windows
• alt + F4 = close window
• alt + F5 = unmaximize window
• alt + F7 = move window
• alt + F8 = resize window
• alt + F9 = minimize window
• alt + F10 = maximize window
• =
• =
• =

Installing PhpBB 3 forum

Today I installed PhpBB 3 forum on my linux hosting with MySQL database. Here are the quick steps:

1. download the package from www.phpbb.com/downloads
2. upload the contents of the package to the server
3. write-enable certain directories:
   chmod 777 cache chmod 777 files chmod 777 store chmod 777 images/avatars/upload chmod 666 config.php
4. open installation script in the browser:
   http://site.com/forum/install/
5. fill in the preferences and db connection details
6. delete the install directory
7. proceed to administration control panel (http://site.com/forum/adm/)
8. walk through all the settings, create categories and forums...

Links

PhpBB 3 Quick installation (original documentation)
PhpBB 3 users home

User interface design for web-based applications

In this article, I will summarize the general rules that I learned during years of designing web application user interfaces.

• Keep it simple and clear.
  Users need to solve tasks efficiently and quickly. The interface should be as simple and straightforward as possible. Each component should have it's clear purpose and the visual structure should reflect the logic behind it.
• Make it intuitive
  Don't make user stop and think about how it works. Let the layout and appearance of the components speak for themselves.
• Know the rules.
  Users expect a certain visual layout as well as functionality of the components. If you break the rules and make things look or behave differently, you should have good reasons for it and make sure user understands it.
• Use hints where necessary.
  When you are not sure, create hints that will explain the purpose and how it works.
• Look through user's eyes.
  Try to look at the interface from user's perspective. Think about what is the important information for the user and what is not so important. The most common tasks should be always at hand.

Related articles

User Interface Design for Web Applications (by Jean Tillman)

Starting with Ubuntu linux

Installation

1. download image from ubuntu.com
2. burn image to cd (using nero)
3. boot from the cd
4. install ubuntu
5. download updates
6. add essential software (see below)
7. disable pc speaker beep sudo rmmod pcspkr
8. enable numlock at startup: gedit /etc/gdm/Init/Default add: if [ -x /usr/bin/numlockx ]; then /usr/bin/numlockx on fi
9. set screen resolution and refresh rate
10. customize names of special dirs: gedit ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs (renaming/moving them in nautilus should work too)
11. uninstall open java and install sun java instead (to solve jedit display problems)

Essential software

• file manager: Krusader (+krename +kdiff3 +rar), Gnome Commander, Midnight Commander
• web browser: Firefox (+firebug)
• text editor: jEdit, vim, cream, GNU Emacs, XEmacs, Eclipse
• media player: amarok
• p2p: LinuxDC++, KTorrent, eDonkey 2000
• im: Pidgin (gnome), Kopete (KDE)
• graphic editor: GIMP
• audio editor: Audacity
• video editor: Kino
• drive partitioning: GParted
• antivirus: ClamAV
• firewall: Firestarter
• email: Thunderbird (sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird)
• dvd burning: K3b
• pdf reader: KPDF, Evince, KGhostView
• desktop: SuperKaramba (KDE only!), Beryl, Compiz
• asio: JACK
• daw: Ardour, Hydrogen, Rosegarden
• games: Advanced strategy command

How to …

find a text file?

locate filename

view a text file?

more filename

edit a text file?

gedit filename

find a file containing …?

locate *.txt | grep sometext

install a package?

sudo apt-get install packagename

uninstall a package?

sudo apt-get remove packagename

define custom keyboard shortcuts?

...

mount a disk partition permanently?

sudo gedit /etc/fstab, add e.g. /dev/disk/by-label/IBM_PRELOAD /home/jj/sys_xp ntfs-3g locale=en_US.utf8,user,noauto,uid=1000,gid=1000,dmask=0000,fmask=0111,dir_umask=0000,file_umask=0111 0 0

set environment variables?

/etc/environment

edit keyboard layout?

sudo gedit /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/cz

set permissions recursively + conditionally?

find /home/user/demo -perm 777 -print -exec chmod 755 {} \;

make xampp start automatically after reboot?

sudo ln -s /opt/lampp/lampp /etc/init.d/lampp sudo update-rc.d -f lampp defaults

...

...

Filesystem

• bin - essential user binaries (for use by all users)
• dev - device files
• etc - config files (host-specific system config, environment vars...)
• home - home dirs of individual users
• lib - essential system libraries and kernel modules
• root - home dir of root user
• sbin - essential binaries used for system administration
• tmp - world-writable dir for temporary files
• var - variable data files like logs
• media - mount point for removable media
• mnt - mount point for temporarily mounted filesystem
• opt - add-on application sw packages
• srv - data for services provided by this system

Web predictions for 2008

What will be popular on web in 2008?

• semantic apps (ish ?)
• mobile web, mobile office, mobile web apps, services
• behavior monitoring, better personalised ad targeting
• OpenID
• content recommendation
• facebook platform
• distributed social networks
• open platforms?

source: various and 2008 Web Predictions - ReadWriteWeb

Bootstrapping PHP application

What?

Bootstrapper is a single access point (index.php script located in the web's document root) of the web application. Its purpose is to handle all incoming requests by 1. setting up the application environment, 2. routing the request to the correct action controller and 3. dispatching it.

Why?

Easy application configuration (all that is common is in single bootstrapper file).

How?

Setting up the application environment

1. set up php environment if necessary (error reporting, include paths,...)
2. set up class loader (and register is as autoloader within php)
3. load common classes
4. load configuration into registry
5. setup db and store db handle into registry
6. set up caching
7. set up front controller
8. set up router
9. dispatch front controller

Routing the request to the action controller

10. set up router

Dispatching the request (dispatch loop)

11. dispatch front controller

Links

• Blueprint for PHP Applications: Bootstrapping (part 1) by Jayson Minard
• Blueprint for PHP Applications: Bootstrapping (part 2) by Jayson Minard

ReacTable (music controller)

Today I discovered a music controller with a unique user interface. It is called ReacTable and it looks like a round table with blue backlight on top of which you place various types of blocks, each of them representing different sonic modules (VCO, LFO, Sample player,...). The parameters are controlled by rotating the blocks and moving them on the table. As you put new block to the table, icons and links between blocks are displayed on the table under each block. Here are some links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPG-LYoW27E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEDia3CFdfg http://mtg.upf.es/reactable/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactable

Prototype javascript framework

What?

Prototype javascript framework (prototype.js) is a library of front-end javascript classes and class extensions (Array, Ajax, Event...) aimed to help building interactive web pages. The library (current version 1.6.0) was originaly written in 2005 by Sam Stephenson and is published under MIT License (same as Ruby on Rails) which means it can be used in any project almost without limits.

Who?

Prototype core team consists of web developers from all around the world (USA, Canada, Austria, UK...) - Sam Stephenson, Thomas Fuchs, Justin Palmer, Andrew Dupont and others.

Why?

What makes this library so good?

• published as single 120kB file
• lincense allows free use in almost any project
• easy to use, simplifies many standard tasks
• standard compliant, supports all current browsers
• good documentation (e.g. official api docs, tutorials or Using Prototype by Sergio Pereira)

Where?

The latest version is available at prototypejs.org/download

All round webdesign tips

1. site logo on top of every page (linked to homepage)
2. search bar on top of every page
3. personal bar on top of every page (login/logout, profile (prefs, favs, watchlist, friends,...))
4. top tags or tag cloud on homepage
5. top searches suggestion on homepage
6. search... text in the searchbox to save space
7. clever (color coded) tabs
8. breadcrumbs nav (path from homepage or session history)
9. flag/spam button on every article/comment
10. article filtering by age (24 hours - 7 days - 30 days - all)
11. flexible column width with defined min- and max-width (in em)
12. all important information must be placed above the fold
13. the optimal column width is 30-70 characters
14. ↑ go to page top link at the bottom of the page (using up arrow)
15. thumbing/starring of articles/comments/users
16. never define only single color. always define the whole set (color and background
17. choose page <title> carefully
18. every action that adds/updates/deletes data on server should be accessed by http POST method (html form)
19. use em units when setting font-size. Don't use px because it does not respect user's preferences (is not relative to parent object's settings)

CSS global reset

When creating a style sheet from scratch it's a good thing to start with a global css reset to avoid problems with possible different presets of margin and padding properties in different browsers. The code (inspired by Andrew Krespanis's article) can look like this (notice the asterisk above h1): /* global reset */ * {padding: 0; margin: 0; } h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p, pre, blockquote, label, ul, ol, dl, fieldset, address { margin:0.6em 4%; } li, dd { margin-left: 4%; } fieldset { padding: .6em; }