LyraTechnicalSystems.com

Gentoo: Installing Flash for Firefox

2009-05-16T10:58:00-07:00

A new installation of Gentoo will typically not include a Flash plugin for your browser. I'm using Firefox. If you go to a site that has Flash content, Firefox asks you if you want to install the needed plugin. Clicking through, you get to the Adobe site, where you can download a *.gz file. Unfortunately, unpacking this file and following the instructions may not provide you with a working Flash player within Firefox.

This led me to search for a flash player using Gentoo's emerge --search option. Executing:

emerge -s flash

returned a list of applications that included net-www/netscape-flash:

*  net-www/netscape-flash
      Latest version available: 10.0.22.87
      Latest version installed: [ Not Installed ]
      Size of files: 8,747 kB
      Homepage:      http://www.adobe.com/
      Description:   Adobe Flash Player
      License:       AdobeFlash-10

That indeed sounded like what I was looking for.

So, I "emerged" the application:

emerge net-www/netscape-flash

restarted Firefox, and: Voila! I now have a working Flash player in Firefox on Gentoo Linux.

Getting a Terminal on a Linux HP Mini

2009-04-29T11:27:00-07:00

Just received my new HP Mini 1120NR. This computer comes with the "Command Prompt" or Linux terminal feature disabled. A lot of people have asked how this can be re-enabled.

I found Chud67's Ubuntu on the HP Mini 1000 posts to be a great starting point for my own 1120NR system. To get a terminal as your own login, do the following:

1. click Alt-F2
2. enter gnome-terminal into the text field
3. Click the "Run" button

A gnome terminal will open up for you.

If you really know what you're doing with Linux, you may want to open a terminal as the root user. Here, Chud67's Mini 1000 instructions didn't exactly work for my Mini 1120NR. But they set me off on the right track. Here's what to do on the HP Mini 1120NR:

1. On the Mini's Home screen, click "Settings" in the upper right of the screen
2. In the "System Settings" window that pops up, click the "Advanced" tab
3. Click the "Customize Settings" icon
4. Under "Preferences," click "Advanced"
5. Scroll down until you see "Root Terminal," and then click its checkbox
6. Click the "Close" button at the lower right of the window to exit the Preferences window

And you're done. Now, whenever you click on "Settings" in the upper right of your home screen, you'll see "Root Terminal" in the "Advanced" tab of the "System Settings" window that pops up. Click the "Root Terminal" icon and enter your password (your own personal password, not the root password), and a terminal will appear, with you logged in as root.

Note to anyone reading this who has no idea what all this talk about "root" is: you REALLY SHOULDN'T DO what I've just described. Doing so, then typing a few seemingly harmless characters into that "Root Terminal" window that pops up, could seriously damage or destroy your system!

Gentoo says "config files in /etc need updating"

2009-04-17T21:18:00-07:00

If you use Gentoo Linux, you may become familiar with seeing messages such as:



 * IMPORTANT: 26 config files in '/etc' need updating.

 * See the CONFIGURATION FILES section of the emerge

 * man page to learn how to update config files.

I finally visited that man page, and indeed it tells you what you need to know. Basically, Gentoo does not want to automatically overwrite configuration files that you may have tweaked manually when portage installs a new software package. So, instead, portage writes a modified configuration file.

You can find all the config files that need to be updated by going to /etc and entering (as root is best):

# find . -name "._cfg*"

For me, today, this returns:



./ssh/._cfg0000_sshd_config

./ssh/._cfg0000_moduli

./ssh/._cfg0000_ssh_config

./logrotate.d/._cfg0000_elog-save-summary

./._cfg0000_ca-certificates.conf

./._cfg0000_locale.gen

./._cfg0000_wgetrc

./._cfg0000_login.defs

./security/._cfg0000_namespace.init

./security/._cfg0000_limits.conf

./._cfg0000_nanorc

./pam.d/._cfg0000_sshd

./pam.d/._cfg0000_login

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_40-nonlatin.conf

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_45-latin.conf

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_65-nonlatin.conf

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_69-unifont.conf

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_60-latin.conf

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_65-fonts-persian.conf

./fonts/conf.avail/._cfg0000_25-unhint-nonlatin.conf

./._cfg0000_mke2fs.conf

./._cfg0000_man.conf

./init.d/._cfg0000_crypto-loop

./bash/._cfg0000_bashrc

./._cfg0000_gai.conf

./udev/._cfg0000_udev.conf

For each .cfg0000_FILEXXX file name in the list, Gentoo is telling you that you have a FILEXXX configuration file that needs to be updated, due to your recent installs. Rather than overwriting your previous file, Gentoo provides you with the opportunity to examine the new config file, compare it with your current file, and update your current file as you deem fit.

For me, in most cases, the correct solution is to just copy the new ._cfg0000_FILEXXX file to FILEXXX. But, it's kind of nice that Gentoo respects your system and your desire to create and maintain a certain configuration that is best suited to your needs.

I like that about Gentoo!

Convert WAV to MP3 on LINUX

2009-02-11T22:10:00-07:00

I wanted to convert WAV audio files to MP3 format on my Gentoo Linux system. My little Mustek camera has an option for recording audio. The format is WAV. I wanted to convert these files to MP3 so I could upload them onto the Web and stream them in music players. A search on Google for "linux wav mp3 convert" brought me to this WAV and MP3 page, which directed me to use the bladeenc application.

I didn't have bladeenc on my Gentoo Linux system. That problem was solved easily. As the root user, I executed:

emerge bladeenc

The program was installed, and I was able to convert my WAV files into MP3 files using this command:

bladeenc audioFile.WAV audioFile.mp3

ProgrammableWeb.com, Dec. 30, 2008

2009-01-01T21:54:00-07:00

AOL's MapQuest Integrates OpenID

Linux Foundation, Dec. 31, 2008

2009-01-01T21:59:00-07:00

Upgrading a C# Mono Application on Gentoo Linux, Part 1

ProgrammableWeb.com, Nov. 28, 2008

2008-11-28T16:23:00-07:00

San Francisco Transit Mashups: the BART API

ProgrammableWeb.com, Nov. 26, 2008

2008-11-28T16:14:00-07:00

"The Cloud Does Not Auto-Validate Your Work"

Get Basic 2D NVIDIA Working on Debian Linux for Optiquest Q22wb Monitor

2008-11-28T12:13:00-07:00

I have an Optiquest Q22wb monitor, a wide screen monitor with a 1680x1050 resolution. I installed Debian 4.0 (Etch) on my system, and the installation kept going to a 1600x1200 resolution. Entering 1680x1050 into my xorg.conf file made no difference.

After some research, I realized that the problem was that I was using the VESA driver as my "Generic Video Card" in xorg.conf. I had looked into installing the full nvidia driver that seemed to match my video card, but that was complicated, so I reverted to the VESA driver.

Finally, I found the NvidiaGraphicsDrivers page on the Debian Wiki: http://wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers. Here I found that Debian comes with a basic, free 2D Nvidia driver named "nv".

I replaced the "vesa" setting in xorg.conf with "nv", logged out and re-logged in, and my screen went immediately to the 1680x1050 resolution I had specified as my default in xorg.conf!

There was still one problem: when the monitor autoadjusted, it put the top menu bar out of sight. If I manually adjust the vertical size, I can bring the menu tabs into view.

My temporary solution is to move the menu bar to the right side of my screen. This is easy to do if you're using the XFCE window manager (which I just switched to).

So, using the "nv" driver instead of "vesa" has given me my 1680x1050 resolution. Images now look normal instead of being horizontally stretched. Now, if only I could get the letters in applications to look clear!