Well, one more edition of Fedora and i had lots to look forward to. With every Fedora release things have been better & smoother. So i was eager to see how much better thing have gotten better. I still remember the first Fedora install on my HP Pavilliion tx1000, a Fedora Core 7 install. Installation itself was a pain, with the install DVD not even booting normally. Once the bare minimum install was done, i struggled to get the features(audio, wireless, video accel. etc.) up and running. Things slowly got better with the next 3 editions of better. And i hoped that the Fedora 11 experience would be even better. Apart from a couple of minor problems, Fedora 11 has been a great experience altogether.
1. Basic Install: I downloaded a DVD using the jigdo downloader and the install was pain free. Even though Fedora 11 provides the option of EXT4 based partitions, i stuck to EXT3 based ones, partly because of the peculiar requirement that the / partition cannot be EXT4 as GRUB still can't understand EXT4. So, if you want a EXT4 based root partition, the solution is to have a separate /boot partition of approx. 100MB. But i stuck to the good old EXT3 itself.
Once Fedora 11 booted, i started checking each feature.
2. Audio: Well, Pulse Audio just works for me. But i did notice some glitches in the audio when switching b/w applications.
3. Display: Was fine, but again their was some latency when switching windows. I decided to install the NVIDIA proprietary driver module. For this i used an excellent application that does all the hard work for me. You can download this application called AUTOTEN from here. Just select the NVIDIA drivers checkbox and it's done. Voila !! The display can not get any more snappier. This gives you all the muscle power you need for the jazzy Desktop effects. Just go ahead and install stuff like compiz now incase you want some bling.
4. Wireless: Well just use AUTOTEN again. It just works. And the Network Manager does a great job at managing your n/w connections.
5. Touchpad: That's been the only piece of hardware that's given me some problem on Fedora 11. The Vertical Scroll was not working properly and the scrolling was area was somewhat displaced to the extreme right of the Touchpad. I fixed the problem as follows:
(a) Generate your Xorg.conf with the following commands.
#yum install system-config-display
#system-config-display --reconfig
Now you have the xorg.conf in /etc/X11.
(b) Edit the xorg.conf sections
In section "ServerLayout" add the follwoing line
InputDevice "Synaptics" "CorePointer"
And make an altogether new entry for the touchpad
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
Option "RightEdge" "5000"
Option "SHMConfig" "true"
EndSection
The "RightEdge" param is the fix for the Touchpad problem, defining the boundary of the Right Edge.
6. Codecs: Installed all the codecs(both audio and video) by following instructions from here.
7. Suspend-Resume: JUST WORKS !!! :) :) ..Yes, i can't stop smiling as this feature has never worked for me prior to Fedora 11. I haven't tried hibernation though, because i don't have a swap partition.
With fedora 11 other problems like the cursor freeze have also vanished for me.
So, all in all - Fedora 11 Rocks !!
UPDATE: TX 1000 has a 64 bit AMDTurion processor. So, i upgraded to the Fedora 64 bit edition. Well, it's just as good as the 32 bit edition. The installation issues were the same trivial ones as that of 32 bit. So, sorted them out in a jiffy. The only difference i noticed was the battery life. The battery life for the 64 bit Fedora isn't as good as the 32 bit's. Wondering if it's due to the h/w or s/w...
04 October, 2008
Pedalling an adventure !!
Whew! Just came back from one of my most amazing trips. Bangalore - Maddur - Bangalore on my bicycle. Covered a distance of ~180 Kms pedalling alone in about 32 Hrs! 'Twas a mix of fun, adventure (sometimes bordering to mis-adventure) and lots of hard work pedalling on State Highway 17 . The moment i proposed the idea to my friends, the unequivocal reaction was - Are you nuts?? Well, here's what i have to say to the ones scratching their heads (penned this at Maddur)..
Some people like to hitch and hike,
But i have an itch for the pedal bike.
Out on the winding roads, sweating drop by drop,
On the pedal bike you don't stop even for the top cop.
Grime, dirt, dust and gravel,
All for the thrill of highway travel,
For once i'm one with the na-ture,
Feeling that my 27 Yrs is not ma-ture!
On the way i meet a motley crew,
And with them, sip a hot brew.
And to Michael this is what i say,
One more trip on my cycle, that's all i pray :)
Don't have the photos yet. Should get them washed by Monday.
Originally i had calculated the distance to be around 140 Kms, Maddur being 70 Kms from Bangalore, But then it takes cycling upto 20 Kms just to get on the Highway.
What was the stimulus for the trip?
Go to the Cafe Coffee Day at Maddur, sip some coffee and catch up on some reading. Yes, it was as simple as that!!
Travelling out of Bangalore through the City Market was easy as it was a Holiday(Gandhi Jayanti). Once i was out on the Highway, i realised that the journey will be testing as the roads are not level. It was miles and miles of undulating highway in front of me. So, 'i'm on the Highway to Hell'. Well, things were a bit easy as the skies were slightly overcast. Crossed Kengeri and made a pit stop at the Go-Karting track. Rested for a while, clicked a few pictures. And yes discovered that Sprite with Glucose is actually an awesome thirst quencher:). From there reached Bidadi. The fun was on but one thing was really annoying me. Turning back every few seconds to check if some thundering Truck/Bus was approaching at break neck speeds. So, here's Lesson 1:
When you go on the Highway, ensure you have a nice rear view mirror!
Well there was more in store for me. The sun was now beating down with full fury and i was heating up pushing my cycle over those up - down - up highways. So here's Lesson 2:
When you go hiking/cycling, start early. Make Hay BEFORE the Sun shines! Hey!! Hey!!!
Lesson imbibed and i kept trudging along and pretty soon crossed Kengeri and Bidadi. Beyond Bidadi was Ramanagaram, the famed hills where the famous Gabbar sequences were shot in Sholay. The sun was slowly setting and i stopped by to grab some pics of flora turned into Fields of Gold by the dazzling Sun. In between all this the Sun had almost settled and i was still a good 8 Kms from Ramanagaram. So here comes Lesson 3:
If you're on the Highway aft Sunset, you need HeadLamps even when if you're crawling on your bicycle. Or else your adventure becomes a mis-adventure :(
Well i tumbled and fumbled in the dark with a prayer on my lips. Finally i made it to Sagar Lodge for the night halt. The place wasn't a pretty one but i was more than happy to be there. Aft dinner met a guy named Manoj Pandey, a business traveller from Delhi. Heard him rant against his Boss and he also mentioned some facts: (a) Ramanagaram in called the Silk Town. (b) There's lot of export oriented Textile industry, the big one being Madura. (c) My lodge was notorious for being a safe haven for one night stands right under the nose of the Commisioner of Police's Office!
Unperturbed by any of this, i rested and re-charged and started for Maddur at day break. Mission/2 accomplished as i reached Maddur Coffee Day. It is a nice building on the Highway with lots of greenery around. The Coffee was actually awesome and the Corn sandwiches were one of the best i've had in a long time. Well, a filled stomach, some nice coffee and Ogden Nash for company - i think that's all i'll ever want. And in a flash i realised that when people ask you questions like why you want to go on such an excursion, you really can't explain it. The journey has to be undertaken to get the answers. As for me, this is all that i can say(i read this in Grade 6) :
A Little Song of Life (by Lizette Woodworth Reese)
Glad that I live am I,
That the sky is blue.
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.
After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun.
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.
All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow,
Nearer the sky.
Even though i spent quite some time over there, it seemed to be a fleeting moment. I started on my way back knowing that it was going to be a long and arduous journey - getting back to Bangalore before dark. Had a quick lunch at Ramanagaram and headed for Bidadi. I was covering the miles in good ime but felt exhausted a few Kms from Bidadi. All the cycling over the past 24 hrs was taking its toll on me. I was tempted to hitch hike some of the distance in a Lorry or something similar. But then it wouldn't remain a purists bicycling trip! Ah, Lesson 4:
You don't need to be a purist in every aspect of life. It's sometimes wise to adopt a give and take policy. Bangalore was still far, i was tired and it would soon be dark.
I decided to HicthHike and was lucky to get a lift upto Kengeri. That's -25 kms +big saving on time. The Truck Driver Nagaraj was a nice fellow and i ended up clicking some pictures of him and promised to post them to him. Kengeri to CMH Road was monotonous with the traffic being just crazy. At around 7pm it was KFC @ CMH Road. I was a tired but a happy man. Gobbled up a Chana Snacker and headed home to catch some much needed rest and sleep.
Some people like to hitch and hike,
But i have an itch for the pedal bike.
Out on the winding roads, sweating drop by drop,
On the pedal bike you don't stop even for the top cop.
Grime, dirt, dust and gravel,
All for the thrill of highway travel,
For once i'm one with the na-ture,
Feeling that my 27 Yrs is not ma-ture!
On the way i meet a motley crew,
And with them, sip a hot brew.
And to Michael this is what i say,
One more trip on my cycle, that's all i pray :)
Don't have the photos yet. Should get them washed by Monday.
Originally i had calculated the distance to be around 140 Kms, Maddur being 70 Kms from Bangalore, But then it takes cycling upto 20 Kms just to get on the Highway.
What was the stimulus for the trip?
Go to the Cafe Coffee Day at Maddur, sip some coffee and catch up on some reading. Yes, it was as simple as that!!
Travelling out of Bangalore through the City Market was easy as it was a Holiday(Gandhi Jayanti). Once i was out on the Highway, i realised that the journey will be testing as the roads are not level. It was miles and miles of undulating highway in front of me. So, 'i'm on the Highway to Hell'. Well, things were a bit easy as the skies were slightly overcast. Crossed Kengeri and made a pit stop at the Go-Karting track. Rested for a while, clicked a few pictures. And yes discovered that Sprite with Glucose is actually an awesome thirst quencher:). From there reached Bidadi. The fun was on but one thing was really annoying me. Turning back every few seconds to check if some thundering Truck/Bus was approaching at break neck speeds. So, here's Lesson 1:
When you go on the Highway, ensure you have a nice rear view mirror!
Well there was more in store for me. The sun was now beating down with full fury and i was heating up pushing my cycle over those up - down - up highways. So here's Lesson 2:
When you go hiking/cycling, start early. Make Hay BEFORE the Sun shines! Hey!! Hey!!!
Lesson imbibed and i kept trudging along and pretty soon crossed Kengeri and Bidadi. Beyond Bidadi was Ramanagaram, the famed hills where the famous Gabbar sequences were shot in Sholay. The sun was slowly setting and i stopped by to grab some pics of flora turned into Fields of Gold by the dazzling Sun. In between all this the Sun had almost settled and i was still a good 8 Kms from Ramanagaram. So here comes Lesson 3:
If you're on the Highway aft Sunset, you need HeadLamps even when if you're crawling on your bicycle. Or else your adventure becomes a mis-adventure :(
Well i tumbled and fumbled in the dark with a prayer on my lips. Finally i made it to Sagar Lodge for the night halt. The place wasn't a pretty one but i was more than happy to be there. Aft dinner met a guy named Manoj Pandey, a business traveller from Delhi. Heard him rant against his Boss and he also mentioned some facts: (a) Ramanagaram in called the Silk Town. (b) There's lot of export oriented Textile industry, the big one being Madura. (c) My lodge was notorious for being a safe haven for one night stands right under the nose of the Commisioner of Police's Office!
Unperturbed by any of this, i rested and re-charged and started for Maddur at day break. Mission/2 accomplished as i reached Maddur Coffee Day. It is a nice building on the Highway with lots of greenery around. The Coffee was actually awesome and the Corn sandwiches were one of the best i've had in a long time. Well, a filled stomach, some nice coffee and Ogden Nash for company - i think that's all i'll ever want. And in a flash i realised that when people ask you questions like why you want to go on such an excursion, you really can't explain it. The journey has to be undertaken to get the answers. As for me, this is all that i can say(i read this in Grade 6) :
A Little Song of Life (by Lizette Woodworth Reese)
Glad that I live am I,
That the sky is blue.
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.
After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun.
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.
All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow,
Nearer the sky.
Even though i spent quite some time over there, it seemed to be a fleeting moment. I started on my way back knowing that it was going to be a long and arduous journey - getting back to Bangalore before dark. Had a quick lunch at Ramanagaram and headed for Bidadi. I was covering the miles in good ime but felt exhausted a few Kms from Bidadi. All the cycling over the past 24 hrs was taking its toll on me. I was tempted to hitch hike some of the distance in a Lorry or something similar. But then it wouldn't remain a purists bicycling trip! Ah, Lesson 4:
You don't need to be a purist in every aspect of life. It's sometimes wise to adopt a give and take policy. Bangalore was still far, i was tired and it would soon be dark.
I decided to HicthHike and was lucky to get a lift upto Kengeri. That's -25 kms +big saving on time. The Truck Driver Nagaraj was a nice fellow and i ended up clicking some pictures of him and promised to post them to him. Kengeri to CMH Road was monotonous with the traffic being just crazy. At around 7pm it was KFC @ CMH Road. I was a tired but a happy man. Gobbled up a Chana Snacker and headed home to catch some much needed rest and sleep.
25 December, 2007
My Blog is Blocked !!
And so might be yours!! From the past few days i'm unable to access any blogs with the yourblogname.blogspot.com URLs. All indications point to just one direction - the mindless censorship brigade is at work again. My ISP Aircell must be surely blocking the blogspot URL. A quick googling on the net shows that something like this happened in 2006 as well. But inexplicably the parent site blogger.com is available. I can view and edit myblogs from there(that's where this post is coming from). There are other simple ways to bypass the block like using proxies like youhide.com.
So what's the point of blocking off blogspot? It might be an attempt by some stupid admin at my ISP to block some nasty blogs gone awry and ending up with blocking the entire URL itself. First thing tomorrow morning is to check if the blogspot URL is accessible from my Office. If not, then this might be one of those ill conceived ideas of our Ministry of Information Tech. That's gonna be really BAD.. I just hope it does not end up that way. So this just might be a worthy cause to investigate and set right. In this age of free flow of information how can such ghastly censorship be imposed on bloggers? Blogs are mass media these days and i consider censoring a blog equivalent to censoring a Newspaper.
So time for action at the break of dawn tomorrow...
Update: 27/12/07 1.18PM
The URL blogspot.com is accessible from my Office. I'm trying to contact the guys from my ISP(Aircell) and ask them a few questions. But ther're still not reachable...
So what's the point of blocking off blogspot? It might be an attempt by some stupid admin at my ISP to block some nasty blogs gone awry and ending up with blocking the entire URL itself. First thing tomorrow morning is to check if the blogspot URL is accessible from my Office. If not, then this might be one of those ill conceived ideas of our Ministry of Information Tech. That's gonna be really BAD.. I just hope it does not end up that way. So this just might be a worthy cause to investigate and set right. In this age of free flow of information how can such ghastly censorship be imposed on bloggers? Blogs are mass media these days and i consider censoring a blog equivalent to censoring a Newspaper.
So time for action at the break of dawn tomorrow...
Update: 27/12/07 1.18PM
The URL blogspot.com is accessible from my Office. I'm trying to contact the guys from my ISP(Aircell) and ask them a few questions. But ther're still not reachable...
06 October, 2007
Java Install on Fedora 7 - simplified
During an attempt to install Azureus on my Fedora 7 based lappy, i noticed that there aren't too many simple and easy to follow guides for Java(JRE) Install on Fedora 7. Here's an attempt to do so. Based on tutorial available here.
1. Download Java Runtime Env (JRE) from here. Choose the self extracting package of your choice(32/64 bit). I had downloaded the JRE 6 Update3 version called jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin.
2. Login as root
$su -
3. Move files to a install location like /opt.
#mv jre-xxx-linux-i586.bin /opt
#cd /opt
4. Install as follows.
#sh jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin
This will install the JRE in the same directory(/opt).
5. Now Fedora 7 comes with a default version of GNU Java called GCJ. We want to have Sun Java as the default Java instead of GCJ.
#vi /etc/profile.d/java.sh
Add the following 2 lines to the file.
export J2RE_HOME=/opt/jre1.6.0_03
export PATH=$J2RE_HOME/bin:$PATH
Save file and exit.
Now run the following commands.
#source /etc/profile.d/java.sh
#alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/jre1.6.0_03/bin/java 2
#alternatives --config java
Type '2' when asked to enter an option and hit Enter.
This makes Sun Java the Default Java Installation. You can revert back to GCJ as the default Java using the alternatives command as shown above.
6. Setup the Java Firefox Plugin.
Install libcompat as the Sun Java is compiled using a different version of the libraries than the one available with the Fedora 7 distro.
#yum install compat-libstdc++-33
#cd /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
#ln -s /opt/jre1.6.0_03/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so libjavaplugin_oji.so
Done !
7. Now we can test our Sun Java Installation by entering the following URL in the Browser's Location Bar after Restarting your Browser.
http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre
1. Download Java Runtime Env (JRE) from here. Choose the self extracting package of your choice(32/64 bit). I had downloaded the JRE 6 Update3 version called jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin.
2. Login as root
$su -
3. Move files to a install location like /opt.
#mv jre-xxx-linux-i586.bin /opt
#cd /opt
4. Install as follows.
#sh jre-6u3-linux-i586.bin
This will install the JRE in the same directory(/opt).
5. Now Fedora 7 comes with a default version of GNU Java called GCJ. We want to have Sun Java as the default Java instead of GCJ.
#vi /etc/profile.d/java.sh
Add the following 2 lines to the file.
export J2RE_HOME=/opt/jre1.6.0_03
export PATH=$J2RE_HOME/bin:$PATH
Save file and exit.
Now run the following commands.
#source /etc/profile.d/java.sh
#alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/jre1.6.0_03/bin/java 2
#alternatives --config java
Type '2' when asked to enter an option and hit Enter.
This makes Sun Java the Default Java Installation. You can revert back to GCJ as the default Java using the alternatives command as shown above.
6. Setup the Java Firefox Plugin.
Install libcompat as the Sun Java is compiled using a different version of the libraries than the one available with the Fedora 7 distro.
#yum install compat-libstdc++-33
#cd /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
#ln -s /opt/jre1.6.0_03/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so libjavaplugin_oji.so
Done !
7. Now we can test our Sun Java Installation by entering the following URL in the Browser's Location Bar after Restarting your Browser.
http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre
25 September, 2007
Playing Audio/Video on FC7 ( Fedora )
Apart from surfing and editing documents, most of us these days use our machines for listening to music or watching videos. Here i try to detail my experiences in getting audio and video working on my FC7 installation on the HP Pavillion tx1000 tablet. I hope that this becomes a easy reference for people who want multimedia on the Linux Desktops/Laptops.
Also provived is misc. info on other useful topics like package conversion etc.
Playing mp3 files on XMMS:
The MP3 plugin for XMMS doesn't come bundled by default with the distro due to some licensing issues. Download the xmms-mp3-1.2.10-16.fc7.i386.rpm plugin from here
Install as follows:
#su -
#rpm -iv xmms-mp3-1.2.10-16.fc7.i386.rpm
Playing vcd, dvd, .dat, .mpg, .wma, .avi, .divx, .mkv files in FC7
Enable the Livna Repo using following command:
#rpm -ivh http://rpm.livna.org/livna-release-7.rpm
Download necessary plugins as follows
# yum install gstreamer-plugins-ugly
Remove existing totem player from your system(there are install issues with xine)
# yum remove totem totem-mozplugin totem-plparser
Install the player afresh with other addons using:
# yum install totem-xine totem-xine-mozplugin totem-xine-plparser libdvdcss libdvdnav libdvdplay xine-lib-extras-nonfree rhythmbox.i386 0:0.10.0-8.fc7
That's it! Now you can play most of the formats.
Flash plugin for Firefox on Linux:
Download the rpm from here
Install as follows:
#rpm -iv flash-plugin-9.0.48.0-release.i386.rpm
RPM-DEB package inter converter:
There are times when a package is available for as a .deb package but no rpm. A nice utility for doing the same and vice versa is alien. You can install it on FC7 as follows:
1. Download alien from here.
2. Ensure you have perl installed. I have 5.8.8. Other versions should also be fine.
3. Download html2text from same place as you downloaded alien in step 1.
4. Install html2text with
#rpm -i --nodeps html2text-1.3.2a.i586.rpm
The --nodeps option is required as it cribs about some missing dependency.
5. Extract alien.
$tar -zxvf alien_8.64.tar.gz
6. Install alien
$cd alien
$perl Makefile.PL
$make PREFIX=/usr
$su -
#make PREFIX=/usr install
#cd /usr/lib
#ln -s /usr/lib/libcrypto.so libcrypto.so.4
#ln -s /usr/lib/libssl.so libssl.so.4
#exit
Now you can convert a .deb package to rpm and vice versa like this:
$alien --to-rpm your_deb_package.deb
I would like to thank:
http://lampcomputing.com/node/5 (playing video on fedora).
http://www.hccfl.edu/pollock/AUnix1/alien/ (provides alien).
Also provived is misc. info on other useful topics like package conversion etc.
Playing mp3 files on XMMS:
The MP3 plugin for XMMS doesn't come bundled by default with the distro due to some licensing issues. Download the xmms-mp3-1.2.10-16.fc7.i386.rpm plugin from here
Install as follows:
#su -
#rpm -iv xmms-mp3-1.2.10-16.fc7.i386.rpm
Playing vcd, dvd, .dat, .mpg, .wma, .avi, .divx, .mkv files in FC7
Enable the Livna Repo using following command:
#rpm -ivh http://rpm.livna.org/livna-release-7.rpm
Download necessary plugins as follows
# yum install gstreamer-plugins-ugly
Remove existing totem player from your system(there are install issues with xine)
# yum remove totem totem-mozplugin totem-plparser
Install the player afresh with other addons using:
# yum install totem-xine totem-xine-mozplugin totem-xine-plparser libdvdcss libdvdnav libdvdplay xine-lib-extras-nonfree rhythmbox.i386 0:0.10.0-8.fc7
That's it! Now you can play most of the formats.
Flash plugin for Firefox on Linux:
Download the rpm from here
Install as follows:
#rpm -iv flash-plugin-9.0.48.0-release.i386.rpm
RPM-DEB package inter converter:
There are times when a package is available for as a .deb package but no rpm. A nice utility for doing the same and vice versa is alien. You can install it on FC7 as follows:
1. Download alien from here.
2. Ensure you have perl installed. I have 5.8.8. Other versions should also be fine.
3. Download html2text from same place as you downloaded alien in step 1.
4. Install html2text with
#rpm -i --nodeps html2text-1.3.2a.i586.rpm
The --nodeps option is required as it cribs about some missing dependency.
5. Extract alien.
$tar -zxvf alien_8.64.tar.gz
6. Install alien
$cd alien
$perl Makefile.PL
$make PREFIX=/usr
$su -
#make PREFIX=/usr install
#cd /usr/lib
#ln -s /usr/lib/libcrypto.so libcrypto.so.4
#ln -s /usr/lib/libssl.so libssl.so.4
#exit
Now you can convert a .deb package to rpm and vice versa like this:
$alien --to-rpm your_deb_package.deb
I would like to thank:
http://lampcomputing.com/node/5 (playing video on fedora).
http://www.hccfl.edu/pollock/AUnix1/alien/ (provides alien).
20 September, 2007
Install FC7 (Linux) on HP Pavillion tx1000
Got a brand new tablet tx1000 this month and i've spent a lot of time intalling and configuring Linux on it. I'm sharing my experiences here. I installed Fedora(FC7) on my tx1000. The exact model of my tablet is tx1201AU and it was bought in India. Got Vista pre-installed on it.
Note: There are other sites providing help on the same. Some info might seem repetitive but here i document only the portions i have used and tested personally.
Free space creation on disk for Linux.:
Didn't use any tool like cfdisk. Simply used options available in Vista control panel to shrink the partition. The max. compression obtained is 50%. So, after doing this, i had ~70GB for Linux. Good enough!. And yes, don't forget to create backup disks for your Vista before you play around with your system. And during the installation i also got rid of the other factory default partition used as a recovery partition.
FC7 Install:
Used a FC7 DVD that i got free with LinuxForYou (July 2007). As the install starts, the screen freezes. I thought that was the end of it. I hit the Power button. But wait! The installer moved ahead as i hit the Power button. Rest of the install was pretty normal. After installation, the kernel seemed to hang while booting again. Use the Power button OR touch the mouse pad to boot into the prompt. First things first.
#su -
#yum upgrade kernel kernel-devel
After this edit your grub.conf and change the kernel boot cmdline of the upgraded kernel to the following:
ro root=LABEL=/1 noapic nolapic irqfixup pci=nommconf
This should fix your kernel freezes at boottime.
NVIDIA Graphics Card Setup
Next comes the NVIDIA graphics driver. The NVIDIA driver is a proprietary binary only module. Get it from here. Be careful about the version (IA32/IA64/AMD64). I chose IA32 version as the FC7 DVD provides a 32 bit kernel(no 64 bit goodness for me yet:( ).
Backup your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.
Login as root
#init 3
This will stop X and take you to run level 3.
#sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-100.14.19-pkg1.run
It will re-build the kernel module for you. The kernel-devel package should be present. If you ran the yum command mentioned above, you should have no problems. It also runs the nvidia-xconfig.
Add following lines in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf's Section "Module" if they are already not present.
Load "extmod"
Load "glx"
#init 5
You are ready for some mind blowing eye candy now. Go to System->Preferences->LookAndFeel->DesktopPreferences and switch On Desktop Effects for some nice effects.
I've also tried SecondLife Client (requires 3-D support from your Graphics Card )and it works absolutely fine. By the way it doesn't work on Vista(no SecondLife client support on Vista yet).
Audio
Audio doesn't work by default. Download the latest alsa package from:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/alsa/snapshot/driver/
$tar -jxvf alsa-driver-hg20070904.tar.bz2
Go to the untarred folder.
$./configure
$make
#su -
#make install
#yum install xmms
Launch XMMS and set Options-Preferences->OutputPlugin->Configure->AudioDevice to hw:0,0
That gets your XMMS working and also provides headphone jack detection.
Webcam:
$svn checkout svn://svn.berlios.de/linux-uvc/linux-uvc/trunk
$cd trunk
$make
#make install
#modprobe uvcvideo
Run Ekiga and select V4L2 as configuratiion option.
TouchPad
By default the TouchPad is hyper sensetive. You can reduce the sensitivity of the TouchPad by installing gsynaptics and fine tuning the sensitivity.
#yum install gsynaptics
Now edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf and in the "Input Device" section for "Synaptics" add the following line at the bottom.
Option "SHMConfig" "true"
Now restart X as follows:
#init 3
This will take you to the console login. Login as root and start X with following command:
#init 5
Now you can adjust the TouchPad sensitivity from the link System->Preferences->TouchPad
Extra Keys:
You can configure the DVD and the QuickPlay keys on the right hand side of your screen as follows:
#yum install xbindkeys
Edit your /etc/rc.local file to add following
#DVD button
setkeycodes e00e 144
#Media button
setkeycodes e008 136
Add following lines to your user's ~/.Xmodmap (if you don't have one create one)
keycode 198 = XF86Launch0
keycode 122 = XF86Launch1
Add following lines to your user's ~/.xbindkeysrc (if you don't have one create one)
"totem"
XF86Launch0
"xmms"
XF86Launch1
Now add the xbindkeys command to your session. Got to System->Preferences->Personal->Sessions create a new entry and add xbindkeys
Next time you log in, pressing the DVD button should start totem and pressing the QuickPlay button should start xmms, assuming you have them installed.
Doing the above should give you a pretty much functional machine though without much fluff. Suspend (to RAM) works fine out of the box as does smart card. Sometimes the SmartCard might not be mounted automatically, this can be done manually as follows:
#mount /dev/sdbx /media
TODO:
1. Haven't got Bluetooth working yet though i tried once.
2. Touchcreen
3. Wireless
I would like to express thanks to the following for their great work and providing initial leads to sort out the installation problems:
http://www.cnpbagwell.com/Tx1000/HomePage
http://www.kellyandsopho.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=LinuxOnHpPaviliontx1000z
Note: There are other sites providing help on the same. Some info might seem repetitive but here i document only the portions i have used and tested personally.
Free space creation on disk for Linux.:
Didn't use any tool like cfdisk. Simply used options available in Vista control panel to shrink the partition. The max. compression obtained is 50%. So, after doing this, i had ~70GB for Linux. Good enough!. And yes, don't forget to create backup disks for your Vista before you play around with your system. And during the installation i also got rid of the other factory default partition used as a recovery partition.
FC7 Install:
Used a FC7 DVD that i got free with LinuxForYou (July 2007). As the install starts, the screen freezes. I thought that was the end of it. I hit the Power button. But wait! The installer moved ahead as i hit the Power button. Rest of the install was pretty normal. After installation, the kernel seemed to hang while booting again. Use the Power button OR touch the mouse pad to boot into the prompt. First things first.
#su -
#yum upgrade kernel kernel-devel
After this edit your grub.conf and change the kernel boot cmdline of the upgraded kernel to the following:
ro root=LABEL=/1 noapic nolapic irqfixup pci=nommconf
This should fix your kernel freezes at boottime.
NVIDIA Graphics Card Setup
Next comes the NVIDIA graphics driver. The NVIDIA driver is a proprietary binary only module. Get it from here. Be careful about the version (IA32/IA64/AMD64). I chose IA32 version as the FC7 DVD provides a 32 bit kernel(no 64 bit goodness for me yet:( ).
Backup your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.
Login as root
#init 3
This will stop X and take you to run level 3.
#sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-100.14.19-pkg1.run
It will re-build the kernel module for you. The kernel-devel package should be present. If you ran the yum command mentioned above, you should have no problems. It also runs the nvidia-xconfig.
Add following lines in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf's Section "Module" if they are already not present.
Load "extmod"
Load "glx"
#init 5
You are ready for some mind blowing eye candy now. Go to System->Preferences->LookAndFeel->DesktopPreferences and switch On Desktop Effects for some nice effects.
I've also tried SecondLife Client (requires 3-D support from your Graphics Card )and it works absolutely fine. By the way it doesn't work on Vista(no SecondLife client support on Vista yet).
Audio
Audio doesn't work by default. Download the latest alsa package from:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/alsa/snapshot/driver/
$tar -jxvf alsa-driver-hg20070904.tar.bz2
Go to the untarred folder.
$./configure
$make
#su -
#make install
#yum install xmms
Launch XMMS and set Options-Preferences->OutputPlugin->Configure->AudioDevice to hw:0,0
That gets your XMMS working and also provides headphone jack detection.
Webcam:
$svn checkout svn://svn.berlios.de/linux-uvc/linux-uvc/trunk
$cd trunk
$make
#make install
#modprobe uvcvideo
Run Ekiga and select V4L2 as configuratiion option.
TouchPad
By default the TouchPad is hyper sensetive. You can reduce the sensitivity of the TouchPad by installing gsynaptics and fine tuning the sensitivity.
#yum install gsynaptics
Now edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf and in the "Input Device" section for "Synaptics" add the following line at the bottom.
Option "SHMConfig" "true"
Now restart X as follows:
#init 3
This will take you to the console login. Login as root and start X with following command:
#init 5
Now you can adjust the TouchPad sensitivity from the link System->Preferences->TouchPad
Extra Keys:
You can configure the DVD and the QuickPlay keys on the right hand side of your screen as follows:
#yum install xbindkeys
Edit your /etc/rc.local file to add following
#DVD button
setkeycodes e00e 144
#Media button
setkeycodes e008 136
Add following lines to your user's ~/.Xmodmap (if you don't have one create one)
keycode 198 = XF86Launch0
keycode 122 = XF86Launch1
Add following lines to your user's ~/.xbindkeysrc (if you don't have one create one)
"totem"
XF86Launch0
"xmms"
XF86Launch1
Now add the xbindkeys command to your session. Got to System->Preferences->Personal->Sessions create a new entry and add xbindkeys
Next time you log in, pressing the DVD button should start totem and pressing the QuickPlay button should start xmms, assuming you have them installed.
Doing the above should give you a pretty much functional machine though without much fluff. Suspend (to RAM) works fine out of the box as does smart card. Sometimes the SmartCard might not be mounted automatically, this can be done manually as follows:
#mount /dev/sdbx /media
TODO:
1. Haven't got Bluetooth working yet though i tried once.
2. Touchcreen
3. Wireless
I would like to express thanks to the following for their great work and providing initial leads to sort out the installation problems:
http://www.cnpbagwell.com/Tx1000/HomePage
http://www.kellyandsopho.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=LinuxOnHpPaviliontx1000z
15 February, 2006
Bulls or Bears ?
The Indian stock market (Bombay Stock Exchange or BSE) has touched dizzy heights in the last fortnight crossing the psychological 10000 mark. The rate at which the sensex has climbed is also noteworthy, taking just under 2 months to jump from the 9K to the 10K mark. After the Dot Com bubble burst in 2002, the Dow Jones never managed to touch it's peak which it attained during the boom, but the BSE has not only touched the peak but has also gone on to record new highs. So what does all this mean to the investor who invests his savings and anxiously waits for quick and better returns on his hard earned money?
In the stock market setup there are basically three entities that are involved - the buyer, seller and the stock broker. When the markets are bullish lets see who all benefit from the climate. The seller benefits by reaping good returns on investment, the broker benefits because of all the trading activity, the companies listed on the exchange benefit as they get an easy opportunity to raise huge capital sums easily, the investment bankers benefit as they get the business of bringing out IPO's and of course the politicians who can boast of a thriving economy. But is it good for the common man who wants to invest his savings in stocks?
Simple mathematics will suggest that the value of the investors money is reduced and the stakes become very high for him. Given the volatility of the stock market, it is very difficult to predict if the markets will go higher and higher and bring in returns for the investor who has invested when the markets were bullish. The Indian economy with its dependence on the monsoons cannot be expected to perform well under all circumstances. This maybe a pessimistic view when all around us people are rejoicing and the economy is flush with liquidity. But then i feel that these are genuine concerns that a wise investor should think of before investing bigger sums of money in the stock market. Every company into which your investment goes should be carefully checked for its past trends and its roadmap for the future should be carefully scrutnised. Given the flurry of investments made by MNC's in the Indian economy, there should not be much concerns about the markets doing better. But then the wise will investor should be prepared for the lean season as well.
Or are we better off praying for a bearish market in 2006? Ouch !
In the stock market setup there are basically three entities that are involved - the buyer, seller and the stock broker. When the markets are bullish lets see who all benefit from the climate. The seller benefits by reaping good returns on investment, the broker benefits because of all the trading activity, the companies listed on the exchange benefit as they get an easy opportunity to raise huge capital sums easily, the investment bankers benefit as they get the business of bringing out IPO's and of course the politicians who can boast of a thriving economy. But is it good for the common man who wants to invest his savings in stocks?
Simple mathematics will suggest that the value of the investors money is reduced and the stakes become very high for him. Given the volatility of the stock market, it is very difficult to predict if the markets will go higher and higher and bring in returns for the investor who has invested when the markets were bullish. The Indian economy with its dependence on the monsoons cannot be expected to perform well under all circumstances. This maybe a pessimistic view when all around us people are rejoicing and the economy is flush with liquidity. But then i feel that these are genuine concerns that a wise investor should think of before investing bigger sums of money in the stock market. Every company into which your investment goes should be carefully checked for its past trends and its roadmap for the future should be carefully scrutnised. Given the flurry of investments made by MNC's in the Indian economy, there should not be much concerns about the markets doing better. But then the wise will investor should be prepared for the lean season as well.
Or are we better off praying for a bearish market in 2006? Ouch !
14 February, 2006
Loose Control !
The weekend was happening and the underlying theme was 'Loose control'(will come to this later). That's what we did when myself, Geeson(my roommate) and Akash started off on a early morning bike ride. The plan was to see Geeson's work place(actually a chemical factory) at Hoskote and then grab some breakfast before returning home. So we got up at 5 A.M. and dressed up to venture out in the chilly morning. Just to warm ourselves up, we played some indoor football(for which we faced our landlady's wrath later in the day) before we set off.
The morning air was chilly and crisp and the empty roads were a welcome break from traffic jams in which we get stuck in Bangalore. Geeson forgot to get his driving glasses and had a tough time driving through the chilly wind. The scenery on the way was not very spectacular. Although the two lakes on the way were a visual delight (also a treat for bird watchers and photographers). Sadly we did not have a camera. We saw a couple of dead dogs lying on the road that were run over by Lorries. It was a disturbing sight to see the birds scavenging on the poor dog's squashed dead body. As we entered the Hoskote Industrial area, we passed by the Glas Fibr Ltd. who are the only manufacturers of wind mill blades in India. It was an awesome sight seeing those giant blades so closely. We reached our destination Akzo Nobel Coatings Ltd. in about 40 minutes time. We parked our bikes, took out visitors passes and started the tour.
The factory was a pretty sight considering that it was a chemical factory. The beautiful lawns and the shiny architecture made the place look like one of those new economy businesses. Geeson showed us around the manufacturing unit and explained how the powder coatings are manufactured and applied. We wondered how much the technology has advanced and processes have matured. We spent about 45 minutes in the factory and then started our journey back. Before setting the pace we stopped at a roadside tea stall and had some hot tea. I enjoyed the return trip much more as the sun had come out and it was not very cold. On the way Geeson suggested that we could drop in at our friend Ankur's place and if lucky might have our breakfast there. This turned out to be a good idea and we reached home by 10.45 A.M after our breakfast with Ankur and Priyanka.
During our breakfast conversation in the morning we planned to watch the movie Rang de Basanti in the evening. The movie turned out to be a nice tale of a hedonistic bunch of guys transform to rebels to stem the rot in Politics and in the Society. It also highlighted another important issue, i.e., of bringing out the nexus between politicians and middle men in defense deals which has cost India 206 MIG planes and the lives of 76 young pilots. The movie's soundtrack by A.R. Rehman is awesome and the 'Loose Control' theme was a big hit among the crowd. Well, not one to be left behind, we chipped into the theme in our own way and went to 'The Dhaba' and talked of the ills plaguing the society. The party ended with each one of us getting sloshed after all those beers. It was in the truest sense - 'Loose Control'.
The morning air was chilly and crisp and the empty roads were a welcome break from traffic jams in which we get stuck in Bangalore. Geeson forgot to get his driving glasses and had a tough time driving through the chilly wind. The scenery on the way was not very spectacular. Although the two lakes on the way were a visual delight (also a treat for bird watchers and photographers). Sadly we did not have a camera. We saw a couple of dead dogs lying on the road that were run over by Lorries. It was a disturbing sight to see the birds scavenging on the poor dog's squashed dead body. As we entered the Hoskote Industrial area, we passed by the Glas Fibr Ltd. who are the only manufacturers of wind mill blades in India. It was an awesome sight seeing those giant blades so closely. We reached our destination Akzo Nobel Coatings Ltd. in about 40 minutes time. We parked our bikes, took out visitors passes and started the tour.
The factory was a pretty sight considering that it was a chemical factory. The beautiful lawns and the shiny architecture made the place look like one of those new economy businesses. Geeson showed us around the manufacturing unit and explained how the powder coatings are manufactured and applied. We wondered how much the technology has advanced and processes have matured. We spent about 45 minutes in the factory and then started our journey back. Before setting the pace we stopped at a roadside tea stall and had some hot tea. I enjoyed the return trip much more as the sun had come out and it was not very cold. On the way Geeson suggested that we could drop in at our friend Ankur's place and if lucky might have our breakfast there. This turned out to be a good idea and we reached home by 10.45 A.M after our breakfast with Ankur and Priyanka.
During our breakfast conversation in the morning we planned to watch the movie Rang de Basanti in the evening. The movie turned out to be a nice tale of a hedonistic bunch of guys transform to rebels to stem the rot in Politics and in the Society. It also highlighted another important issue, i.e., of bringing out the nexus between politicians and middle men in defense deals which has cost India 206 MIG planes and the lives of 76 young pilots. The movie's soundtrack by A.R. Rehman is awesome and the 'Loose Control' theme was a big hit among the crowd. Well, not one to be left behind, we chipped into the theme in our own way and went to 'The Dhaba' and talked of the ills plaguing the society. The party ended with each one of us getting sloshed after all those beers. It was in the truest sense - 'Loose Control'.
13 February, 2006
Finally .. !
.. i have a blog of my own. And what's it going to be all about ? Well, mainly my ideas on how technology is influencing our lives. Also some tips and tricks for Linux. And of course, things might be somewhat opinionated. But then isn't it all about the power to express yourself?
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