Using Reuters Messaging from Empathy on Ubuntu
Posted by James Sullivan in Installation, Linux on November 5, 2011
In a post a year or two back I mentioned that it was not possible to directly use Reuters Messaging from Empathy. I would like to thank to Uri Shohet for pointing out that this is no longer true and it is indeed possible to use Reuters Messaging from Gnome Empathy. To make sure Pidgin, SIPE and Telepathy-Haze are installed on Debian/Ubuntu type the following from the command line:
sudo apt-get install pidgin pidgin-libnotify evolution-data-server pidgin-sipe telepathy-haze
Then log-out and log back in again. At this point you have all of the needed software installed and it is just a matter of setting up your accounts. For those that think Pidgin is still a better Instant Messaging client than Empathy, and I wouldn’t argue against that, my previous post explains how to set an RM account directly on Pidgin.
For those that want to use the default Gnome client, Empathy, first go to the letter Icon in the upper right hand corner of your screen and then select Chat from the drop down menu. With the Chat program running and having the focus when you move your mouse over the top left hand of the screen you will see the menu items and can select Edit -> Accounts. From there press the + in the bottom left hand corner of the window that opened in order to set up a new account. Select SIPE for the Protocol and then type in your Reuters Messaging account name which is often in a format like this: firstname.lastname.company.com@reuters.com. Then click on Advanced and fill it in using this screenshot as a guide.
Empathy SIPE Settings to use Reuters Messaging
Server[:Port] should be either your corporate Reuters proxy or for an external connection something like sip.reuters.net:443. Transport should be auto. IMPORTANT you will probably need to ensure Single Sign-On is unselected.
Software Development Conferences and Events in Tokyo, Japan
Posted by James Sullivan in Development on October 29, 2011
I have been unable to find a good list of upcoming events and conferences in Tokyo, Japan for programmers and developers so I have put together a list. This list is admittedly lacking, and the only thing I can say in defense is that it is less lacking than other lists I am currently aware of. If you are aware of a major dev event or better yet know of a site with a good general list of upcoming developer events for Tokyo or Japan please leave the info in the comments. Two items to note. The first is that some of these events can be Japanese only or English only so if you are not bilingual check beforehand. The other is that almost all of them fill up very quickly so you may need to register months beforehand.
Lightweight editor for Ruby on Windows.
Posted by James Sullivan in Uncategorized on September 11, 2011
After a long hiatus I was looking for a Ruby editor on Windows with the following criteria:
1) Free (not that I am against paying for an IDE just that I am not planning on using it that much)
2) Speed/ease of installation and set-up (again not planning on using it that much to be worth the effort)
3) Light weight (I am not yet interested in Rails)
4) Cross platform if possible
JRuby Kaigi 2011
Posted by James Sullivan in Uncategorized on July 16, 2011
I was able to briefly meet one of the core JRuby developers, Thomas Enebo, after seeing his presentation last night at JRuby Kaigi 2011 It looks like the JRuby team is not afraid to experiment and may have some interesting performance improvements in the pipeline if all works out well. It was refreshing to see how unpretentious the JRuby Kaigi group is and their enthusiasm.
To Do After Fedora 15 Install — Fedora As Good As Ubuntu
Posted by James Sullivan in Installation, Linux on May 29, 2011
After not using Fedora for quite a few years, I’ve finally decided to revisit the distro and I am happy to say with a few changes post-install Fedora 15 and Gnome 3 can easily look as good as or perhaps better than Ubuntu and Unity.
Subpixel font smoothing
There have been a lot of complaints about fonts not working in Fedora 15 and looking bad, particularly in Firefox, Terminal, GEdit, etc. This is unfortunate as good looking fonts are very important to the overall impression of a UI and as it is very easy to fix this. As a normal user in terminal paste everything down to and including FOE.
As root user (in terminal type su and root password when requested)
Improve Font Appearance
Add MS Fonts
Install RPM Fusion Repositories [http://rpmfusion.org/Configuration]
Install Freetype Fonts
Install MP3 Plugins
Install the livna-release package for libdvdcss (DVD Decoding) if legal in your country
Install Flash
Follow instructions at http://www.if-not-true-then-false.com/2010/install-adobe-flash-player-10-on-fedora-centos-red-hat-rhel/
GNOME Tweaking Tools – install them using the terminal
Install the Hope theme
Download and follow instructions at http://grvrulz.deviantart.com/art/Hope-gtk3-206207315
Run the gnome-tweak-tool
Shell tab — show date in clock
Interface tab -> Gtk+ theme Hope
Run the gconf-editor
desktop->gnome->shell->windows->theme Hope
Optional — install themeselector for Gnome Shell
Follow instructions at http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/themeselector-gnome-shell-extension-to.html
Optional — install multilanguage input support
Follow instructions at http://www.localizingjapan.com/blog/2011/06/12/japanese-input-on-fedora-15-linux-gnome-3/
logout and login again to make sure changes are working
Additional Helpful Gnome 3 Links
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GNOME (for ArchLinux but a useful reference in general)
http://www.webupd8.org/search/label/gnome%20shell?max-results=10
Additional Helpful Links for Custom Dev Environments
http://www.if-not-true-then-false.com/
Zhongguancun Versus Akihabara
Posted by James Sullivan in Uncategorized on October 4, 2010
Zhongguancun E-Plaza Saturday 4 Sep 2010
I was in Beijing recently and ended up in staying in Zhongguancun 中关村 which I already knew was the Chinese equivalent of Silicon valley with all of the high tech industrial parks in the area but what I didn’t realize was that it was also the Chinese equivalent of Akihabara 秋葉原, a famous electronic goods shopping district in Tokyo.
My interest was piqued. Having lived in Japan for almost two decades I have visited Akihabara, or more precisely Akihabara Electric Town 秋葉原電気街, more than a few times over the years and wondered how Zhongguancun would compare. Akihabara must be fairly well known globally as whenever I have had tech savvy friends or colleagues visiting Tokyo they have asked to visit Akihabara as well to see some of the electronics only available in Japan and in recent years to see the the Otaku related hobbyists interested in anime, gundam figures, etc.
Akihabara Electric Town is famous for having an unparalleled selection of consumer electronics, both particular to Japan but also globally as well. I remember going to Akihabara to look for a very specific financial calculator not used in Japan. Within minutes I was directed to a small booth selling calculators. It was so small, not much larger than a closet, I was sure there was no way they would have the model I needed but as soon as I mentioned the manufacturer and model number to the person, he disappeared into a ventilation shaft and like a scene in a B movie I could hear him banging around and moving through the ventilation ducts located in the ceiling. Less than five minutes later he emerged a little dustier but with the exact model I was looking for and charged list price. Read the rest of this entry »
Linux Certifications
Posted by James Sullivan in Linux on July 18, 2010
Which Linux certification is right for me? The five main Linux certification programs are (in alphabetical order):
CompTIA Linux+
Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC)
Novell Certified Linux Professional (CLP) and Certified Linux Engineer (CLE)
Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) and Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Ubuntu Certified Professional (UCP)
One easy way to categorize the certifications is by whether they are vendor-neutral professional/industry certifications or if they are vendor-specific certification programs. CompTIA and LPI are vendor neutral professional/industry associations while Novell, Red Hat and Ubuntu are vendor specific. The vendor-neutral certifications costs tend to be lower than those of vendor specific certifications and be offered at more places. Read the rest of this entry »
Using Reuters Messaging from Linux
Posted by James Sullivan in Installation, Linux on July 5, 2010
It is possible to use Reuters Messaging from Linux and it is actually very easy with a few pointers. I need to add the standard disclaimer at this point that this website and what follows is in no way endorsed by Thomson Reuters, Microsoft, Ubuntu or any other maker of the applications used and that you follow at your own risk.
The first thing to realize is that it is not, at least currently, possible to log into the Reuters Messaging network using the default Empathy Instant Messaging client installed with recent versions of Gnome and Ubuntu 10.04 and later. Instead you will need to install Pidgin, which given its versatility, cross platform capabilities and large amount of available plug-ins is a really useful instant messaging client. You will also need to install the Pidgin SIPE Plug-in for OCS as the solid implementation of the SIPE plug-in by Anibal Avelar and all is what really makes this possible. Both can be downloaded from those links but the easiest way on Ubuntu is to just go to the software repository and install them that way.
Applications -> Ubuntu Software Center Search for Pidgin and Install
Ubuntu Lucid Lynx Install — to do before and after
Posted by James Sullivan in Installation, Linux on May 1, 2010
Before installing Ubuntu 10.04, if you are planning on doing a clean install, definitely, but even if you are only upgrading you should:
1) Back up folders such as Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos to a separate drive or media from your installation target. The command diff /folderpath1 /folderpath2 from the terminal is useful for comparing large folders to make sure there are no differences and if there are differences to quickly find out what they are.
2) Save your E-mail archive and account information. If you use the E-mail client Evolution you should go to File -> Backup Settings. Be aware that your passwords for E-mail accounts are not saved so don’t forget them.
Read the rest of this entry »