I grew tired of constantly loading a VM JUST for testing to see how the website loaded in Internet Explorer. Maybe I should back up...
Why design in Ubuntu?
I absolutely love gedit (Text Editor) in Ubuntu. The syntax highlighting, line numbers, bracket highlighting (has saved me SO many times in debugging), automatic indentation, and PLUGINS! Brilliant. It is like everything I loved in Notepad2 and then some.
Couple gedit that with the after-mastered-becomes-quite-useful GIMP with the ever increasing usefulness (I find taking a quick screenshot with the "Print Screen" button and then using the excellent rectangle select tool in GIMP to figure out what is going on with my margins is a rather quick debugging tool) and you get a taste of why I like to use Ubuntu.
It doesn't stop there of course, I adore the ability to spread my work out over a few desktops and then switch quickly between them to access my different programs and folders.
Also, the ability to setup a web server on the local machine to test code before publishing it on a live server brings peace of mind, saves a lot of bandwidth, and saves time.
Realistically, I can do all of this within Windows in a fairly timely turnaround. There are solutions for doing it all in Windows, but I just prefer Ubuntu due to it being free, open source, and constantly improving.
Where Windows shines above Ubuntu
Then here is the wrinkle in my default workstation: Internet Explorer still holds the majority of the market for web browsers. I have never liked Internet Explorer and tell people all the time to use something abstracted from their OS (Opera, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, I DON'T CARE... just get something NOT so intricately involved in your OS)... but let's face it the average computer user doesn't know any better. They just use what is on the computer to begin with.
Leaving web designers chained to comply with IE's often-frustrating habit of CREATING exclusive solutions and not COMPLYING with W3C standards.
Obviously Microsoft is not too concerned about getting a version of Internet Explorer on linux machines. They don't care. They figure they have lost that market already and the "demand" for a true IE on linux is probably restricted to EXACTLY what I need it for: web design.
Solutions:
There are basically three solutions I have been told about and have found so far. I don't count signing out of Ubuntu and using a Windows OS as a "solution" to the problem. That is more of a "I give up" scenario... and I DON'T GIVE UP that easily.
1) Virtual Machine
I have been running a VirtualBox VM of Windows XP Pro on my laptop and my desktop for the last few months. @crgwbr of KomodoKomputer also suggested this when I brought up this issue again today. Wasn't really new to me... but I appreciate the willingness to help and always like when people are so helpful and friendly.
PROS: Completely accurate, fully compliant, as bug free as IE will get
CONS: Slowish startup time, resource hog (especially tough on my laptop)
2) IEs4Linux & WINE
I already had WINE installed, so following the installation guide here I have got a nice, quick solution. Not the LATEST version of IE, but modern enough to get a quick view of how the CSS and javascript is functioning and being shown on IE. Thank you @calebhailey for this recommendation. I may write a blog about how to set this up in Intrepid... since the instructions were slightly off on the installation guide.
PROS: Light on system resources, fast, shows javascript, decently accurate
CONS: Not the most recent Internet Explorer, required a bit of setup (instructions slightly out dated)
3) BrowserShots & IE NetRenderer
@techfun gave an interesting recommendation of BrowserShots (http://browsershots.org/). I will definitely give this a try as the RANGE of web browsers it gives you snapshots for is quite impressive. Compartively less impressive, but perhaps easier to use is IE NetRenderer (a plugin for Firefox). Although the comments on the Add-on webpage is slightly concerning. Not sure if I will bother to add it onto Firefox or not...
PROS: No setup
CONS: Just provides a "screenshot" of the webpage loaded in the different browsers, no javascript support, etc
Verdict
With all of these different options, I now have a broad "solution" to work with. For strictly HTML sites, I will probably use BrowserShots. This gives me the added bonus of sending the screenshots to clients as "samples" of how their site looks on different computers and browsers. For "during producton" designs I will use IEs4Linux on one of my desktops. That way I can test and load as I work and debug. During "final runthrough" and "beta testing" I will open up my VM and use the real IE to make sure it is how I have designed it to look and behave.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
How To: Installing CHDK from Ubuntu
I finally got around to putting CHDK (Canon Hacker's Development Kit, chdk.wikia.com) on my Canon PowerShot SD400 Digital Elph. It's actually a lot easier than what I thought it was going to be. I'll save anyone who reads this a few minutes of figuring out. Here is a three (basic) step how-to. I have used exhastive directions, so hopefully this is easy to follow. Just read it all over once, and then start going right down the list and you should do it without any hassles.
You will need:
- SD Card (anything larger than 4GB might have issues, see the CHDK site)
- SD Card reader for the computer (I found that my Toshiba card reader DID NOT work for this)
- hexedit (sudo apt-get install hexedit in a terminal will fetch it)
1) Check if your camera is supported and download CHDK
1. a. Get your firmware for your camera.
-Connect your SD card onto your computer
-Create two empty text files on the root directory of the card (not in any folders, just on the main part of the card). The files need to be named "ver.req" and "vers.req". My camera was old enough, it needed the "ver.req" text file. Newer cameras need the "vers.req" file. I found that it worked if I just had BOTH in there.
-Unmount the card, put it in your camera (right click on the SD Card on your desktop and press select "Unmount" to unmount the card)
-Power on, go to the "play" function on your camera, hold "Func / Set" and press "Disp"
-Write down what it says your Firmware version is (will be something like 1.01A, 1.01E, etc NOT 1.0.0.0 or 1.0.1.0)
1. b. Download CHDK for your camera (by the easiest method: autobuild site)
-Go to http://mighty-hoernsche.de/ (preferably in a different tab / window)
-Download the zip file for your camera model and your camera's firmware
2) Create a bootable SD Card and "install" CHDK
2. a. Create the bootable SD Card
-Connect your SD Card to your computer
-BACK UP ANY PICTURES OR MOVIES YOU WANT TO SAVE
-Unmount the card, put it in your camera
-Format the card using the function found in the camera's menu (this will ERASE EVERYTHING ON THE CARD)
-Connect your SD Card to your computer again
-open up a terminal
-type "sudo fdisk -l", figure out the "/dev/sd{letter}" of the SD Card (hint: look at the storage capacities)
-write down what you found out (for me, it was "/dev/sdb") and add a "1" to the end (again, for me, it was "/dev/sdb1")
-type "sudo hexedit /dev/sdb1" (replace with what you wrote above)
----press Enter / Return key
----type 40 (to take you to 0x40)
----press Tab key
----type "BOOTDISK"
----hold Ctrl and press the "x" key
----confirm you are saving and quitting hexedit
2. b. "Install" CHDK
-Unzip the file you downloaded for CHDK
-go to Places and then click on the SD card
-Copy the files from CHDK onto the SD card (do not place in any folders) (I had two files to copy "DISKBOOT.BIN" and "PS.FIR", some newer models will only need "DISKBOOT.BIN" apparently)
-Unmount SD card, take out of the reader (we will put it in the camera in just a bit)
3) Test CHDK
-Slide the "Lock" on the SD Card before you put it into the camera
-Put the SD Card in your camera, turn it on
There you go, you can now play around with CHDK. If you don't want to use CHDK, just unlock the SD Card and put it back in the camera. No harm to your camera. No hassle.
You will need:
- SD Card (anything larger than 4GB might have issues, see the CHDK site)
- SD Card reader for the computer (I found that my Toshiba card reader DID NOT work for this)
- hexedit (sudo apt-get install hexedit in a terminal will fetch it)
1) Check if your camera is supported and download CHDK
1. a. Get your firmware for your camera.
-Connect your SD card onto your computer
-Create two empty text files on the root directory of the card (not in any folders, just on the main part of the card). The files need to be named "ver.req" and "vers.req". My camera was old enough, it needed the "ver.req" text file. Newer cameras need the "vers.req" file. I found that it worked if I just had BOTH in there.
-Unmount the card, put it in your camera (right click on the SD Card on your desktop and press select "Unmount" to unmount the card)
-Power on, go to the "play" function on your camera, hold "Func / Set" and press "Disp"
-Write down what it says your Firmware version is (will be something like 1.01A, 1.01E, etc NOT 1.0.0.0 or 1.0.1.0)
1. b. Download CHDK for your camera (by the easiest method: autobuild site)
-Go to http://mighty-hoernsche.de/ (preferably in a different tab / window)
-Download the zip file for your camera model and your camera's firmware
2) Create a bootable SD Card and "install" CHDK
2. a. Create the bootable SD Card
-Connect your SD Card to your computer
-BACK UP ANY PICTURES OR MOVIES YOU WANT TO SAVE
-Unmount the card, put it in your camera
-Format the card using the function found in the camera's menu (this will ERASE EVERYTHING ON THE CARD)
-Connect your SD Card to your computer again
-open up a terminal
-type "sudo fdisk -l", figure out the "/dev/sd{letter}" of the SD Card (hint: look at the storage capacities)
-write down what you found out (for me, it was "/dev/sdb") and add a "1" to the end (again, for me, it was "/dev/sdb1")
-type "sudo hexedit /dev/sdb1" (replace with what you wrote above)
----press Enter / Return key
----type 40 (to take you to 0x40)
----press Tab key
----type "BOOTDISK"
----hold Ctrl and press the "x" key
----confirm you are saving and quitting hexedit
2. b. "Install" CHDK
-Unzip the file you downloaded for CHDK
-go to Places and then click on the SD card
-Copy the files from CHDK onto the SD card (do not place in any folders) (I had two files to copy "DISKBOOT.BIN" and "PS.FIR", some newer models will only need "DISKBOOT.BIN" apparently)
-Unmount SD card, take out of the reader (we will put it in the camera in just a bit)
3) Test CHDK
-Slide the "Lock" on the SD Card before you put it into the camera
-Put the SD Card in your camera, turn it on
There you go, you can now play around with CHDK. If you don't want to use CHDK, just unlock the SD Card and put it back in the camera. No harm to your camera. No hassle.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Re: Amarok and Intrepid
Okay, so the lack of multimedia keyboard support is not a problem with Amarok, Gnome, OR the Gnome Multimedia Keys script.
Instead, this problem is related to a bug in Intrepid with the Toshiba ACPI driver. Apparently this happened during the beginning of Hardy too, but one of the kernel updates fixed the issue for most Toshiba laptops (mine included). However, there was another regression in Intrepid and again the Toshiba ACPI is all screwed up.
What does not work for my Toshiba in Intrepid:
- FN keys
- Multimedia keys (in ANY program as it turns out, Rhythmbox... Amarok... etc)
- Mute / Unmute keyboard key (the volume and mute on the front of the laptop work though)
There are several bugs I found that seem to relate overall to this problem. I'm going to spend some time this next weekend and figure out WHICH bug affects MY Toshiba model and see if there has been a solution yet. I'm debatting actually compiling the toshiba_acpi driver manually and patching the kernel, but that would probably be broken again the next time they update the kernel.
Instead, this problem is related to a bug in Intrepid with the Toshiba ACPI driver. Apparently this happened during the beginning of Hardy too, but one of the kernel updates fixed the issue for most Toshiba laptops (mine included). However, there was another regression in Intrepid and again the Toshiba ACPI is all screwed up.
What does not work for my Toshiba in Intrepid:
- FN keys
- Multimedia keys (in ANY program as it turns out, Rhythmbox... Amarok... etc)
- Mute / Unmute keyboard key (the volume and mute on the front of the laptop work though)
There are several bugs I found that seem to relate overall to this problem. I'm going to spend some time this next weekend and figure out WHICH bug affects MY Toshiba model and see if there has been a solution yet. I'm debatting actually compiling the toshiba_acpi driver manually and patching the kernel, but that would probably be broken again the next time they update the kernel.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Intrepid - Tablet Working
Finally got my tablet working again in Intrepid. I have never installed an Ubuntu version that had support right from the start for my tablet. So, I am used to doing a search a few weeks after install and going through a lengthy howto. This time, the howto was not lengthy, but the time involved sure turned out to be.
I had to try this several times to get it working, and I'm not sure if it will STAY working once I restart my PC. I kept getting the command line (as in X wouldn't start). So, hopefully this helps you do it faster than I did.
Ok, so here is my quick three step program:
1) Backup your current conf file.
> In a terminal type "sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.default" (don't type the quotes)
> Write down these instructions in case you get a command line:
- To restore your default conf file type these two commands (after signing in using your username and password)
- "sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.default /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
- "sudo reboot"
- Just write down the bold parts, don't include any quotes in the terminal.
2) Edit your conf file
> In the terminal type "sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
> Add this to the bottom of the file:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "stylus"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "eraser"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "cursor"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
EndSection
3) Restart X
> AFTER SAVING ALL OF YOUR WORK (your computer will basically restart now), press ctrl+alt+backspace
- If you do not see a command line, pull out your pen and try to move the cursor. Should work now. Go ahead and sign in and enjoy your tablet functionality.
More research:
These articles were ESSENTIAL for me to get this done.
Wacom Tablets in Ubuntu Guide / howto
Wacom - Community Ubuntu Documentation
I thank the Ubuntu community for once again helping me (well, basically doing all the hard work for me) with yet another configuration of my tablet. This is why I love Ubuntu, people really do help people with this OS.
I had to try this several times to get it working, and I'm not sure if it will STAY working once I restart my PC. I kept getting the command line (as in X wouldn't start). So, hopefully this helps you do it faster than I did.
Ok, so here is my quick three step program:
1) Backup your current conf file.
> In a terminal type "sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.default" (don't type the quotes)
> Write down these instructions in case you get a command line:
- To restore your default conf file type these two commands (after signing in using your username and password)
- "sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.default /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
- "sudo reboot"
- Just write down the bold parts, don't include any quotes in the terminal.
2) Edit your conf file
> In the terminal type "sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf"
> Add this to the bottom of the file:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "stylus"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "eraser"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "cursor"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
EndSection
3) Restart X
> AFTER SAVING ALL OF YOUR WORK (your computer will basically restart now), press ctrl+alt+backspace
- If you do not see a command line, pull out your pen and try to move the cursor. Should work now. Go ahead and sign in and enjoy your tablet functionality.
More research:
These articles were ESSENTIAL for me to get this done.
Wacom Tablets in Ubuntu Guide / howto
Wacom - Community Ubuntu Documentation
I thank the Ubuntu community for once again helping me (well, basically doing all the hard work for me) with yet another configuration of my tablet. This is why I love Ubuntu, people really do help people with this OS.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Compiz and Intrepid
Do yourself a favor: download CompizConfig Settings Manager. That is one of the first things I do when I install Ubuntu.
TERMINAL:
This utility lets you add some extra eye-candy beyond the 3 options that you have in Appearance Preferences > Visual Effects. It's fun just to PLAY with Compiz and see what you can do. I always set up my cube, some burn effect for closing windows, some beam effect for opening windows, and play around with some other options.
Intrepid continues the trend of using the current stable Compiz, which means we have new options to check out. Maybe it is just me (or the RAM I added in between installing Hardy and Intrepid), but Compiz seems to run a little faster now too.
TERMINAL:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
This utility lets you add some extra eye-candy beyond the 3 options that you have in Appearance Preferences > Visual Effects. It's fun just to PLAY with Compiz and see what you can do. I always set up my cube, some burn effect for closing windows, some beam effect for opening windows, and play around with some other options.
Intrepid continues the trend of using the current stable Compiz, which means we have new options to check out. Maybe it is just me (or the RAM I added in between installing Hardy and Intrepid), but Compiz seems to run a little faster now too.
Dropbox (0.6.416)
The skinny
This program is pretty decent. Gives you a free 2GB online storage account that syncs between several computers pretty quickly (obviously depends on internet connection). They have a .deb package for Ubuntu right on the site, an added bonus. Just a quick note: dropbox has worked on Hardy and Intrepid for me, neither usage has ever crashed.
It works beautifully. I actually have dropbox installed on a few Windows boxes as well, and hands down I prefer dropbox for linux. Always nice to see a company that doesn't drop the ball in a linux implimentation. Dropbox can also be limited to how much bandwidth it will consume (can say how effective it is, I have never tested it out).
Speaking of Windows boxes, I LOVE that they have utilities for Windows, Mac and Linux. This makes it a breeze to sync some important files back and forth. Or just do some file transfers. Obviously, transfering files will be slower than a straight network connection or a thumb drive, but it can be useful at times.
You are required to sign up for an account. This makes perfect sense really... since you want your data secure and this also allows you to access your storage from a web interface (that actually doesn't suck!). This is a fairly new company I think, so some forethought into what you store might be prudent. You wouldn't want to store extremely private or personal files without checking to see if their security meets your demands and before you trust them as an entity. I have no problem with the company, but I am not going to say why, you should do that research and come to a conclusion yourself.
Installation
This is a breeze in Ubuntu. I already mentioned the .deb package a bit ago. Actually, writing installation instructions is both pointless and irritating. Seriously, you can wing it just fine. Just go to the website in step one and the rest will fall into place.
1) Download the .deb here: http://www.getdropbox.com/install?os=lnx
2) ... install it ... go wit' da flow man
A few notes: Dropbox will reboot nautilus during the installation. This will cause your panels and wallpaper to simply disappear for a little bit. After installation, Dropbox needs to download and install more components.
This program is pretty decent. Gives you a free 2GB online storage account that syncs between several computers pretty quickly (obviously depends on internet connection). They have a .deb package for Ubuntu right on the site, an added bonus. Just a quick note: dropbox has worked on Hardy and Intrepid for me, neither usage has ever crashed.
It works beautifully. I actually have dropbox installed on a few Windows boxes as well, and hands down I prefer dropbox for linux. Always nice to see a company that doesn't drop the ball in a linux implimentation. Dropbox can also be limited to how much bandwidth it will consume (can say how effective it is, I have never tested it out).
Speaking of Windows boxes, I LOVE that they have utilities for Windows, Mac and Linux. This makes it a breeze to sync some important files back and forth. Or just do some file transfers. Obviously, transfering files will be slower than a straight network connection or a thumb drive, but it can be useful at times.
You are required to sign up for an account. This makes perfect sense really... since you want your data secure and this also allows you to access your storage from a web interface (that actually doesn't suck!). This is a fairly new company I think, so some forethought into what you store might be prudent. You wouldn't want to store extremely private or personal files without checking to see if their security meets your demands and before you trust them as an entity. I have no problem with the company, but I am not going to say why, you should do that research and come to a conclusion yourself.
Installation
This is a breeze in Ubuntu. I already mentioned the .deb package a bit ago. Actually, writing installation instructions is both pointless and irritating. Seriously, you can wing it just fine. Just go to the website in step one and the rest will fall into place.
1) Download the .deb here: http://www.getdropbox.com/install?os=lnx
2) ... install it ... go wit' da flow man
A few notes: Dropbox will reboot nautilus during the installation. This will cause your panels and wallpaper to simply disappear for a little bit. After installation, Dropbox needs to download and install more components.
Amarok and Intrepid
Amarok and Gnome don't always play nice. I've looked for alternatives to Amarok, and I just haven't found one that matches Amarok. In fact, I have never experienced a better jukebox (for lack of a better word). Any OS. Any MP3 player. Period.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Amarok, Gnome, and Intrepid.
Amarok has behaved much more stable in Intrepid for me. I had it crash on me a lot in Hardy, so I welcome the improvement. However, I, rather stupidly, checked a box on a warning box. In the past, I would always just say retry and it worked like a champ. Amarok hasn't really had any problems, but this has caused one rather unfortunate side-effect. NO GNOME MEDIA KEYS. I have the plugin installed. Easy as always. But it doesn't work. This is either a regression with Intrepid / Gnome OR it is because of the aforementioned dialog box I have dismissed for the last time.
I like to think positively, so I will imagine that it is because of the dialog box. Now I just need to figure out WHAT the dialog box was for so I can find the configuration file for it and tell it to show those warnings again. That's the plan.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Amarok, Gnome, and Intrepid.
Amarok has behaved much more stable in Intrepid for me. I had it crash on me a lot in Hardy, so I welcome the improvement. However, I, rather stupidly, checked a box on a warning box. In the past, I would always just say retry and it worked like a champ. Amarok hasn't really had any problems, but this has caused one rather unfortunate side-effect. NO GNOME MEDIA KEYS. I have the plugin installed. Easy as always. But it doesn't work. This is either a regression with Intrepid / Gnome OR it is because of the aforementioned dialog box I have dismissed for the last time.
I like to think positively, so I will imagine that it is because of the dialog box. Now I just need to figure out WHAT the dialog box was for so I can find the configuration file for it and tell it to show those warnings again. That's the plan.
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