Firefox 3 and Java 6 (Java 1.6) on Kubuntu 7.04

Was having trouble getting a certain applet to run in Firefox 3 so I started digging into the problem. Through a little Firefox configuration and installation/configuration of the latest Java from Sun, it's all working now. Here are the steps I used.

• Get the latest Java from http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp


• Configure it by following the instructions at http://www.java.com/en/download/help/5000010500.xml#100


• Edit Firefox configuration for java files by entering "about:config" as a URL and promising to be careful. Find the setting for java.java_plugin_library_name and change it from the default value of javaplugin_oji to libjavaplugin_oji


• Restart firefox

If all goes for you as it did for me, you can now go to this URL to verify that Java is working: http://www.cyberdyne-systems.co.uk/bz/bzsplash.html

More on remote desktop using x11vnc

On January 8, 2008, I posted about remote desktop. I've since found two nice features of x11vnc that I wanted to share.

The first is scaling. My work desktop is 1680x1024 and 1600x1280. My home desktop is 1280x1024 and 1280x1024 (both lcd native resolutions). I wanted my entire work desktop to fit on my home desktop. The solution was using scaling.

x11vnc -scale 5/8

This scales the desktop by the named fraction. The fraction can be less than one (reduction) or greater than one (zoom). It does seem to slow down the display.

Another nice feature is sharing a single window rather than the entire desktop. My naming a window id to share, x11vnc will only share that window, not the entire desktop. To get the window ID, connect to the remote Linux host and run

xwininfo -display [display] -name [name]

Where [display] is the display on which the window is being shown on. I use localhost:0 as my display, which maps to my left monitor at work.

And where [name] is a substring of the window title. I use 'Eclipse'. This will return a hex window id (and other information). Note this id.

Now, run x11vnc with the -id parameter:

x11vnc -id 0x12345678

Then on your local host, run your vnc viewer.

Configuring dual monitor setup in Ubuntu

So my friend was in dual monitor hell after a new installation of Kununtu (8.04). It would only do clone mode (where both monitors have the same output) or not start at all. We did some research into the xrandr . While in clone mode, we gave the command:

xrandr --output VGA-0 --right-of DVI-0

This complained about the screen not being big enough. A little more research said to edit the xorg.conf and change the Screen block to look like this:


Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
Device "Configured Video Device"
SubSection "Display"
Virtual 3200 1200
EndSubSection
EndSection


The key part is the "Virtual" line. It says that the "virtual" screen is 3200 pixels wide by 1200 pixels high. She is running a DVI and CRT monitor side-by-side, each running 1600x1200.

Restarting the X-server (ctrl-alt-backspace), then startx from the command line resulted in clone mode again. From here, we issued the command

xrandr --output VGA-0 --right-of DVI-0

again, and behold, functional multi-display.

Of course, this means that she has to issue that command every time she logs in.

Additionally, since dual monitor support is such a complex issue, your mileage may vary. I followed the following steps to find my solution.

1. Does the initial configuration after install meet your needs? No
2. From System Settings->Monitor & Display, can you get it to work? No
3. Examine the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Can it be tweaked to make it work? No
4. Install the drivers from your video card manufacturer. Does this work? No
5. Mess with xrandr until it works.

Recipe for Barbecued chicken strips with sauteed onions

After thawing some chicken for dinner and taking inventory of the 'fridge to weigh my options for how I would have the chicken, I devised the following recipe:

Ingredients:

Two medium sized chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch wide strips
4 flour burrito shells
1/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
One medium sized onion
Two tbsp butter

Preheat grill on high
Marinate the chicken strips in barbecue sauce for 15 minutes while preparing onions;

Cut the onion into strips or wedges (cut from top to bottom). Place cut onions into shallow pan with butter and sautee over medium heat until tender and slightly carmelized. Browning them isn't the worst thing to do and gives more flavor.

Put the chicken on the grill and cook until done. (internal temperature is 165 degrees)

Move the chicken off of the grill and place burrito shells on the grill and lightly toast.

Place grilled chicken in burrito shell, folded like a taco and top with onions. Enjoy.

Configuring the gateway under Linux

I recently ran into a situation where I had to change my gateway. First, I wanted to check what my gateway was set to. The normal command 'ifconfig' only showed the following:

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:13:72:DF:1B:99
inet addr:192.9.200.37 Bcast:192.9.200.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::213:72ff:fedf:1b99/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:10323194 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:5229128 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:1479472650 (1.3 GiB) TX bytes:2978700320 (2.7 GiB)

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:12477530 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:12477530 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:3343381852 (3.1 GiB) TX bytes:3343381852 (3.1 GiB)


but not the gateway. Some interweb postings suggested using tracert, but I think you should use the right tool for the right job. The route command is that tool.

Running route alone will report the current gateway on the "default" line:

$ route -n
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
192.9.200.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0
link-local * 255.255.0.0 U 1000 0 0 eth0
default 192.9.200.38 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 eth0


The 192.9.200.38 is the configured default gateway. To change it, first add the new default gateway with the command

$ route add default gw 192.9.200.40

Next, remove the old gateway

$ route del default gw 192.9.200.38

Verify your results:

$ route -n
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
192.9.200.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0
link-local * 255.255.0.0 U 1000 0 0 eth0
default 192.9.200.40 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 eth0



I'll need to do some testing to determine the relationship of the route command to the /etc/network/interfaces file, but these settings seem to take priority.

But in case you need to tweak the named file...


sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart


Windows 64 bit and Kodak printers or docks

After installing Windows XP x64 on my new Athlon dual core rig, I was faced with the problem of a lack of 64-bit drivers for my peripherals. Like my sweet sweet PowerMate or my matching Razor mouse.

But the biggest disappointment was a lack of any mention of 64 bit support for my new Kodak AIO printer or my Kodak Printer Dock. The could mean that I have to downgrade my OS to upload and print my photos.

But after just going for it with the driver installation, I realized that Kodak DOES have 64 bit driver support in the installer, but it just isn't advertised.

So if you're running XP x64 or Vista 64, install away with the appropriate driver from the Kodak software download site and know you'll get the 64 bit drivers that your OS craves.

Windows XP SP2 won't install on selected partition

Building a new box for an upcoming lan party, I ran into a problem where I couldn't get very far into the Windows installation because of a loop in the setup process.

The installer asks me to select or create and select a partition on which to install. I do so, only to be taken to a page that says that the selected partition is not compatible with Windows XP.

Thinking I'm outsmarting the computer, I use a Linux boot disk to create and format a partition with NTFS, then reboot to XP and try to use this partition again... with the same results.

At this point, I should mention that the new box has a 160g 7200 rpm sata drive and a 250g ide drive. And that the 250g ide drive was showing up first in the list of drives.

After stumbling upon the exact Google search term, I learned that Windows XP in a little finicky about the drive to install upon appearing first in the list of drives. Since my 250g drive was appearing first, Microsoft didn't like that.

So I unplugged the 250g ide drive and tried again, but then my CD, which was a slave wasn't recognized since there was no longer a master. After moving the appropriate jumper and rebooting, everything is now working.

Hours wasted on this...