It's been a while since I posted. Unix / Linux - like systems are everywhere!
One of my new "linices" is a MacBook. It didn't take long to see it was much quieter than my Ubuntu desktop (or even the netbook I'd loaded Ubuntu on). At first, I use VNC to connect to my Ubuntu box, but later VirtualBox on the laptop.
I'll look at some of the smaller tools I used to accomodate "unix" usage of my macbook in a later post. It's been 6 months, and I would not have thought I'd be this satisfied. Perhaps the biggest stumbling block is understanding what Windows license to get for a virtual box (so as to be able to make test within a windows environment). I was spoiled by having a pre-release version of Windows 7 (which expired). I do not currently have a pressing need to investigate windows - so I let it go, and remain mostly, increasingly unfamiliar with it.
There are a few mac-specific tools (scripts) I've found to accomodate my unix habits. I'll share those in the future.
In the meantime, welcome to the new unix-ish machine!
Ubuntu - ubdate bug... again...
The latest Ubuntu upgrade today broke my system. At first, I thought it overwrote my /etc/fstab. Further checks showed what really happened - UUID references stopped working properly:
As it is, /dev/disk/by-uuid is populated with relative symbolic links to the referenced partitions, e.g.
/dev/disk/by-uuid/12345-xxxxxx => ../../sda9
What was actually mounted was a similar partition number from a different disk - in my case, for /home, and /local (root partition was - at least - correct).
I updated fstab to point to the raw devices directly (e.g. /dev/sda9, as appropriate). As a defensive measure, I also now version my /boot/grub and /etc spaces (I use mercurial; either git or mercurial would be equally simple).
Does somebody want to report this? Maybe this is a more longstanding problem (?) that was triggered by todays kernel update on my box.
*sigh*
[update: 5/4/2010]:
It seems there was another casualty of this update (I think): Skype. I only accidentally found out, as I have been using skype since.
However, yesterday, I installed a new computer (and skype on it). Both skype's should work. Quiting skype should log you out of that skype connection. Today, I didn't get any calls on my Ubuntu skype.
I was puzzled at first, but after re-installing skype on Ubuntu, all works as expected. If logged into both, both ring when called. Logging out of one leaves messages in the other.
Since skype-ubuntu worked before re-installing, I expect that something in the libraries that affects sync with the skype server was either broken or severed (the Ubuntu upgrade involved a kernel upgrade). I can't tell what is at fault here, but it is not the first time I've noticed Linux-Skype behavior change, only to be repaired by a skype re-install.
Now, I will treat Skype (along with NVIDIA) as requiring a re-installation (at least, defensively) on kernel upgrades.
mount -t ext3 /dev/disk/by-uuid/....failed to mount the correct disk partitions (instead, mounting something other than the uuid partition described in the fstab).
As it is, /dev/disk/by-uuid is populated with relative symbolic links to the referenced partitions, e.g.
/dev/disk/by-uuid/12345-xxxxxx => ../../sda9
What was actually mounted was a similar partition number from a different disk - in my case, for /home, and /local (root partition was - at least - correct).
I updated fstab to point to the raw devices directly (e.g. /dev/sda9, as appropriate). As a defensive measure, I also now version my /boot/grub and /etc spaces (I use mercurial; either git or mercurial would be equally simple).
*sigh*
[update: 5/4/2010]:
It seems there was another casualty of this update (I think): Skype. I only accidentally found out, as I have been using skype since.
However, yesterday, I installed a new computer (and skype on it). Both skype's should work. Quiting skype should log you out of that skype connection. Today, I didn't get any calls on my Ubuntu skype.
I was puzzled at first, but after re-installing skype on Ubuntu, all works as expected. If logged into both, both ring when called. Logging out of one leaves messages in the other.
Since skype-ubuntu worked before re-installing, I expect that something in the libraries that affects sync with the skype server was either broken or severed (the Ubuntu upgrade involved a kernel upgrade). I can't tell what is at fault here, but it is not the first time I've noticed Linux-Skype behavior change, only to be repaired by a skype re-install.
Now, I will treat Skype (along with NVIDIA) as requiring a re-installation (at least, defensively) on kernel upgrades.
Upgrade Ubuntu (9.04 to 9.10)
Since last fall I had a terrible experience with upgrading Ubuntu from 9.04 to 9.10 (left my notebook unusable on the road), it was with great trepidation that, all these months later, I considered doing this. I'd read a piece on "quickly", and tried it on my netbook (which has 9.10), so I wanted to try this for my desktop (particularly, to setup a template for other than bazaar, and other than Launchpad hosting - notably interested in using mercurial, and - because of Guido von Rossum's code review tool - Google Code).
I backed up my user spaces, swallowed hard and went forward.
I'm now running 9.10 on my desk. There were a few problems, but nothing that apeared to hurt the install. I also upgraded to the beta NVidia drivers (their performance seemed noticable on ION, so I thought I'd try them here too).
Here's the problems (such as they were) that did show up during the install:
I backed up my user spaces, swallowed hard and went forward.
I'm now running 9.10 on my desk. There were a few problems, but nothing that apeared to hurt the install. I also upgraded to the beta NVidia drivers (their performance seemed noticable on ION, so I thought I'd try them here too).
Here's the problems (such as they were) that did show up during the install:
- Notice about ghc6-doc failing to install (documentation for the Haskell compiler - I just removed it for now;
- Old rpm database for installed (?) rpm packages not usable with the new version; (I just glanced at it - I think it must be empty... I'm not worrying about this)
I have (so far) noticed this: when trying to bring up nautilus from a terminal window, I'm getting:
(nautilus:9916): Eel-CRITICAL **: eel_preferences_get_boolean: assertion `preferences_is_initialized ()' failed
The Official web2py Book
I use web2py, and we have had the PyCon registration system running under it for the past 2 years. It's an evolving framework - there are some really nice things about it. Lack of readily available documentation is one of the things that has been holding me back from considering running a sprint on the registration system (which itself could use some restructuring based on experience with the various users / people registering, sponsors, and so on).
Well, now there is an online web2py Book documentation (there has been a book, PDF, and online view of the PDF - but nothing this accessable) - and soon, I expect it to provide author / contributor logins, comments, etc. I'm really happy about this.
Have a look.
Google Chrome on Linux
My Ubuntu Firefox 3.5.* seems to have been bogging down ... sometimes appearing to hang, no keyboard input for seconds...
This has gone on for a while. It also has trouble I never bothered to track down with audio, particularly streaming video or internet radio/music (I use Opera to "just get around it.")
Last summer I spent some time building / debugging Google Chromium (the open source version of the browser) - so I know that was rapidly undergoing development for Linux.
A little while ago, I was happy to find Google Chrome Beta available for download for both my Linices.
Note: I did find one problem reading SSL certificates with the 64-bit version (reported), but - now my keyboard is snappy, the websites that were picky (e.g. paying mortgage) and didn't like Firefox no longer complain.
I like the "feel" of Chorme, and did when I used it (partly in revolt of IE) in a corporate environment.
And now it's here.
This has gone on for a while. It also has trouble I never bothered to track down with audio, particularly streaming video or internet radio/music (I use Opera to "just get around it.")
Last summer I spent some time building / debugging Google Chromium (the open source version of the browser) - so I know that was rapidly undergoing development for Linux.
A little while ago, I was happy to find Google Chrome Beta available for download for both my Linices.
Note: I did find one problem reading SSL certificates with the 64-bit version (reported), but - now my keyboard is snappy, the websites that were picky (e.g. paying mortgage) and didn't like Firefox no longer complain.
I like the "feel" of Chorme, and did when I used it (partly in revolt of IE) in a corporate environment.
And now it's here.