free the bird - Part 43

Mo Betta Linux-on-top-of-Windows

A hyper-quick CliffNotes summary of X for those new to linux: The X Window System is the foundation of the GUI of modern Unices. The best part: it allows you to escape the graphical prison of a M$ Windoze(TM) operating system by running an “X Server”. The X server can display your X windows from a remote linux machine on the local machine instead (even if it’s a Windoze(TM) box). With a smart Winblows(TM) SSH client like putty, you can tunnel your X packets through an SSH session, so you end up with both command line and graphical secure remote access to your boxxen, whoop!

There are literally TONS of X servers for Windumbs(TM). However, I think I just found the best. Cygwin is a super-groovy set of native libraries that provide a command shell under Winslows(TM) with a LOT of linux functionality. On top of that, they provide an X environment. On top of THAT, it comes with an X server. Just run the Cygwin setup program, and make sure you include the following components:

xorg-x11-base

x-startup-scripts

Then open your Cygwin shell and type “startxwin.sh”.

As a final note, I’m having a lot of luck with the newer X.org flavor of X. It’s running on my Gentoo box, my Fedora box, and the Cygwin on this laptop. All the goodies, none of the crankiness, of XFree86. :>

Life just doesn’t get any better under Windoesn’t(TM).

Comments | Friday, November 26, 2004

The One-step Apache Compile Script, v 0.2

LAMP (Linux + Apache + Mysql + perl/php/python/put your favorite scripting language here) is getting to be rock solid. Even though my one-step compile script is based on specific versions of each of the components, those components have hardly changed since the last script update:

Apache 1.3.31

mod_perl 1.29

openssl 09.7d

mod_ssl 2.8.19-1.3.31

PHP 4.3.8

mysql 4.0.21

mm 1.3.0

This is awesome, it’s an indication that the components are really mature and stable. There are newer versions available of some of them (Apache 2.0, PHP 5.0, etc.) but the currently supported stable versions (Apache 1.3, PHP 4, etc.) are very very good things (TM). So without further ado, check it out, the one-step Apache script. If you’ve never compiled Apache from source before, it’s a great jump-start. Dump it into an empty directory, run it, and watch it fill up with goodies. Warning: check out the script first, it will actually install apache into /usr/local/apache (and other components too in other places) without asking you, if it gets far enough – so MAKE SURE THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT. The script assumes you have mysql and perl installed already, but not Apache. It also tweaks the build to target an Athlon architecture, which you can turn off in the script. As a final note, the PHP configuration in the script expects mcrypt and mhash to be installed. You should have them installed, or remove them from the PHP configure line. Have fun!

Apache One-Step Compile Script
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Comments | Monday, September 20, 2004

Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1

Got Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1 with my MSDN subscription recently. Anyone can get a “hobbyist” version here (now everyone, all together, say “thank you open source” for forcing M$’s hand on that).

It looks nice, has a C++ configuration available for selection on the first-time run that has been fairly comfortable for me.

UPDATE: OK, I’m switching, this looks good and the VC++ 6 compiler has got to go. Read on for the details…

‘NUTHA UPDATE: I’ve seen blogs ranting about the class diagram functionality, which can operate in both directions, letting you add to the actual code by adding to the diagram, and vice versa… but generating one is not obvious. Hopefully not just hyped fanboy blogging… ’cause we’re WAY overdue for something like that… everyone knows the Rose Stinks… 😛

‘NUTHA UPDATE: It’s simple, just select Solution Explorer->YourC++Project->Add->New Item->Visual C++->Class Diagram (!). Give it a name and start dragging in classes. You can have more than one diagram in a project. OK, I have to say, I’m all about this, nice.

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Comments | Sunday, August 15, 2004

CD ripping is fun!

I’m working on pulling the thousand or so CD’s out of the attic and ripping them. I haven’t done it yet because all that old crap is only marginally interesting (nostalgia has a strong saccharin aftertaste that doesn’t take long to kick in with me) and therefore wasn’t worth the huge effort. But linux makes all things easy, so what the heck.

Steps:

Get grip (already part of Fedora Core 2)

Get lame (yum install lame)

Set up grip to use lame/mp3, rip on insert and eject when done

Pop cd’s in all day long

Fedora Tracker pointed me towards grip, which rips cd to wav with the built-in cdparanoia ripper. Grip can also run a separate encoder that converts wav to mp3 (or ogg or whatever). FT once again led me to lame, an MP3 encoder. And that’s just about how easy it was.

Interesting mainly because this is the kind of stuff that makes linux rock. Attempting this basic task under Windows would require slumming through a whole lot of obnoxious product pitches. SOMEBODY (Gueedo Gates?) makes sure that there are no good free alternatives (I still can’t figure how this can be possible). You’d try selecting some inferior product because it claimed to be free, only to find out that was a lie. By the end you’d gladly dish out a wad of cash to make it all go away. Or be so pissed off at the process that you’re driven to spend two weeks finding a working cracked version that leaves you wondering if you’ll be the next RIAA target. All very unsatisfying.

TRY THE ALTERNATIVE! FREE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE PANE BEHIND! 😛

Comments | Sunday, July 25, 2004

Cyrus + Squirrelmail + Sieve are a go!

I have finally gotten cyrus imap and sieve up and limping along. I don’t even want to begin to document the pain it was to set up… the only thing I’ll say is… USE A PRE-COMPILED CYRUS IMAP PACKAGE if possible – after struggling along for weeks, the Fedora Core 2 RPM installed in seconds with zero problems. Fedora Tracker is da bomb. My cyrus setup isn’t perfect yet… but I can pull up my email in 4 seconds instead of 300 now…

Bottom line: if you want an email account on thedigitalmachine.com, now is the time to ask. :>