Installing Sublime Text 2 on Fedora 19 – Schrodinger’s Cat

Here’s another three step guide to installing Sublime Text 2 on Fedora 19 – Schrodinger’s Cat:-

1. Download the installation script from the following gist.

2. Extract it to your home directory [or anywhere you like].

   $tar -xvf gist5810101-3b0e9bb3ef5128760df9e3e06877fa4f7e5689ec.tar.gz

3. Open your terminal (preferably as super user), navigate to your home directory and execute the shell script.

    #./sublime-text-2.sh

Voila!! You now have Sublime Text 2 installed on your machine. You may run it from the terminal or via the alt+f2 shortcut by simply typing in “sublime-text”.

Credits to Henrique Moody for the original script gist!!
I’ve simply added a symbolic link at /usr/bin to enable terminal execution.

Enjoy!!

Installing VLC player on Fedora 19 – Schrodinger’s Cat

Here’s a simple three step guide to installing VLC media player on Fedora 19 [Schrodinger's Cat]:-

1. Login as Super User:
   • $su
2. Setup rpmfusion:
   • #rpm -ivh http://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-stable.noarch.rpm
3. Install vlc using the default yum package manager:
   • #yum install vlc mozilla-vlc

Voila! You now have VLC media player installed on you computer!

Porting WordPress for WebOS to Firefox OS

Introduction to WordPress for WebOS

WordPress for WebOS was a web app which used the WebOS platform’s innovative “Cards” feature, which allowed users to quickly switch between managing, editing, and browsing content. WordPress for WebOS was built around Sliding Panels that enables users to easily switch between creating, editing and managing content.

The app allowed working with both WordPress.com and self-hosted blogs, notified users of new pending comments and had WordPress Stats built in using Jetpack for self-hosted blogs apart from using Sliding Panels to quickly move between new and existing content. It was also the first Open Source WordPress app to have a full visual editor, which made it easier than ever to format text, add links or embed media into a user’s posts and pages.

Recycling the Code

Even though the project is currently dormant, however, it’s repository still has the potential to serve as a precursor to future Web apps for WordPress, by providing a neat base model for future application developers.

The WebOS app was written using the Enyo.js JavaScript framework, which gives the application the flexibility of cross platform development using the same framework, as well as being extensible for future iterations due to Enyo’s modular design. This provides developers with the opportunity of reusing the existing code of the WebOS application for developing Web apps for newer platforms.

The rising popularity of web based applications along with significant advancements in the Enyo Framework also makes it easier to port the existing code for the web application to newer platforms such as Firefox OS.

Desired Outcomes from the Project during GSoC

1. Upgrade the existing Enyo 1.0 based code to the Enyo 2.2 framework.
2. Rewrite platform specific code such as app manifest and device APIs.
3. Basic UI redesign to a responsive layout so as to support smaller device resolutions.

Aspects of Porting

There are two major aspects which need to be taken into consideration while rebuilding/porting the existing app on a Firefox OS:-

1. The WebOS app was written using the Enyo.js 1.0 framework. This needs to be first updated to Enyo 2.2 framework for porting the app to Firefox OS.
2. Given the fact that the WebOS app was last updated almost a year ago, the app itself needs some rework to get it up-to-date and at par with the latest WordPress mobile apps on other platforms like Android the latest facelift.

Development Methodology

A structured three step approach is proposed for the actual coding cycle as follows:-

1. Identify the key differences between the architecture of an app developed on WebOS and that of one developed for Firefox OS.
2. Based upon these observations isolate platform specific code and app specific code.
3. From here on the actual implementation process begins and is categorized into two categories:-
   • Rewrite platform specific code such as app manifests and Web API interactions.
   • Modify and upgrade the base Enyo 1.0 code to Enyo 2.2, to include newer functionalities to bring the existing code base at par with the WordPress apps for other platforms such as Android as well as to support advanced features on Firefox OS for the Enyo 2.2 framework. This would include some basic UI redesign to cope with smaller screen resolutions on mobile handsets.

Bonus Objectives

Once the basic code upgradation is complete, the focus can be shifted towards added features based on time availability post completion of primary development objectives. Two major desirable additions would be as follows:-

• UI redesign: Since the WordPress for WebOS app was primarily designed for use in tablets with comparatively higher screen resolutions, the application UI layout needs to be upgraded to a more responsive interface layout to support a variety of screen resolutions most of which are comparatively lower than that of tablets to extend support to smaller devices. A possible layout for lower resolutions can include an arrow button like the Android app to bring out the admin sidebar.
  [Note: While the project's scope for GSoC would include some basic UI adjustments, further improvements to the UI would be a long term goal traversing the completion of the GSoC period.]

• l10n: Localization is a bonus target which can be looked upon if time permits after the primary application development process. Currently the WebOS app supports 11 locales by itself by using JSON based l10n resources identified by the Enyo framework. This section would require a considerable looking into to improve the quality and performance of localized content for the Firefox OS app. The primary objective here would be to extend the current localization resources, however an alternate implementation can be done by using Gaia’s webl10n library if it shows a substantial performance (response/rendering time for localized Glyphs) and quality improvements over Enyo’s base l10n resource implementation.
  [Note: This is not a milestone for the project itself, however this is a support feature that needs to be kept in mind for future improvements.]

Programming on Mobile Devices

This is a thought that’s been rather bugging me for sometime now:

Is writing code (programming) via mobile devices really not a very feasible idea?

In the current scenario, almost all conventional programming is done on desktop computers (PCs, laptops and the likes), wherein we have a standard keyboard which is used to write down all the code, and a relatively large enough display device to help us visualize what we are writing. However, with the mercurial rise in popularity of mobile devices we have seen a huge shift from conventionally used devices to mobile devices with almost all major aspects of modern day computing making a gradual yet steady shift towards mobile computing.

We see a lot of developers now focusing on “Programming for mobile devices“, however there is an evident lack of focus on “Programming on mobile devices“, which is actually quite weird in my honest opinion. On one hand we are talking about a truly mobile world, where almost every aspect of computing is being made available for on the go mobile devices. Whereas, on the other hand, for the very basic necessities for enabling these mobile functionalities we fallback to traditional computers (and by traditional, I do take into account laptops as well, because no matter how small in size they may be, they still follow the same desktop oriented norms).

Why is it so that we aren’t yet completely comfortable with the thought of being able to write a piece of code on our mobile handsets? I know some people may argue that it is possible to write code in some ABC language using a XYZ software on a tablet device. However, what I ask is that are you really comfortable with the current scenario? Why can’t we find a nice alternative way to make programming on devices such as mobile handsets more intuitive, organic, comfortable and developer friendly?

The main problem with devices as small as mobile handsets as I see it, is a combination of low resolution / small screen size + lack of a comfortable keyboard / input device. But is it really the main challenge that we are talking abut here? Or is our mindset the main challenge? Is it really that difficult to take on the challenge of redesigning the existing programming methodology and create an efficient solution for mobiles, or is it just that we are just too lazy and or narrow minded to explore the possibilities of programming on mobile devices.

I have heard the proverb which says “Nothing is impossible“, however, I think there’s an even more dangerous public opinion which states “This is not feasible!” which generally results in the eventual death of ideas. But is feasibility really applicable here or should it be the willingness and openness in one’s mind to imagine and realize the things which others might reject as non-feasible and bring about a much needed change in the paradigms? What do you think? Please do leave your thoughts on this as comments below.

The Greek Experience – Remo Training Days

Reps at Greece for #remotrainingdays

Last week Mozilla brought together 40 Mozilla Reps from all over the world at Athens for week-long training exercise called Reps Training Days. The idea was to gather the most pro-active Mozillians under the ReMo programme in a single place and train them about leading the Webmaker initiative in their respective communities.

The training event was structured as follows:-

• The Reps spend the first day observing a Hive Athens Pop-Up event.

• Then the next 2 days are dedicated to developing local strategy and teaching skills; and finally

• The Reps apply the lessons they have on a one day event teaching webmaking to a group of 100 students at the British Council.

The outcome from this event was phenomenal, with over 40 events being planned for the next 3 months to build local Webmaker mentor team and prototype events for the summer campaign, code-named Remix Party. The vibrancy of the geographical locations for which events were planned speak for themselves. From Taiwan to Indonesia, India to Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, Romania, UK, France, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada + beyond, we had events being planned everywhere.

It was an amazing example of Hive + Webmaker Reps, with the local community stepping up to host the event. The energy levels of everyone at the event spoke for themselves.

Here are the links for some of the most awesome things from the event:-

• Photos galore:
  https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=remotrainingdays&m=text
  

• Storify:
  http://storify.com/epilepticrabbit/reps-training-days-in-athens-march-2013
  

• RemoTrainingDays Etherpad, inc. agenda:
  https://etherpad.mozilla.org/RTD
  

• The things Reps want to work on/make/contribute to:
  https://docs.google.com/a/zythepsary.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aku8434q8_LPdHVHSU9CNlpkZVRZQ0U5Q0VtS0RhMHc#gid=6
  

Oops! Almost forgot – we also made our own Harlem Shake Video:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/tn4Evp8BN1U

Running Friendlycode – A local instance of Thimble

Here is a breakdown of how to run Friendlycode in 3 (maybe not-so-simple) steps.

Friendlycode – An Offline Thimble Instance.

Prerequisite: A static file server such as Apache.

Steps:-

1. Download Friendlycode from here.
2. Extract the contents of the friendlycode-gh-pages package into a directory named friendlycode within your file server’s document root. For example, in Apache you might want to put the friendlycode directory inside www/html or www or public_html based upon your Operating System’s preferences.
3. You can then run a trivial embedding of Friendlycode from your browser by navigating to the examples/bare.html file within the friendlycode directory.
   

   Example:
http://localhost/friendlycode/examples/bare.html


Additional features in Friendlycode:-

1. Javascript: By default, Friendlycode doesn’t allow JS. An example of an embedding that allows JS and publishes using an alternate API can be run from the examples/alternate-publisher.html file.
   

   Example:
http://localhost/friendlycode/examples/alternate-publisher.html


2. Localization: Friendlycode currently uses Transifex for localization. To localize Friendlycode in your language, please visit the Transifex friendlycode project. Any strings you don’t translate will fall-back to English. To try out a localized version run the examples/transifex.html file.
   

   Example:
http://localhost/friendlycode/examples/transifex.html


3. Development: If you are a code ninja and want to play around with the dev-repository of Friendlycode, you can checkout the excellent Readme.md file at Atul’s friendlycode repository at Github.
   

Related articles:-

• Localizing Mozilla’s Thimble (michellethorne.cc)
• Using Mozilla Thimble Offline (ant2android.com)

Installing Steam for Linux Beta | Counter Strike for Fedora 17/18

Here’s the link to a really interesting article by Russel Bryant that I found on the web. Especially helpful for all my geeky gamer friends who keep on complaining about how they are not able to play Counter Strike or Team Fortress 2 on their Linux based systems. Enjoy!

If however you are a counter strike freak and this link doesn’t completely satiate your needs, you may try referring to this blog for Chris Daniel’s take on installing Counter Strike on Fedora 18.

Debugging NO KEY warning during “yum install vlc”

This is a problem that I encountered today while tryiing to install VLC media player on my brand new Fedora 18 installation.

Right after the dependency resolutions are complete, yum returns the following warning:-

Transaction Summary
===============================================
Install 1 Package (+45 Dependent packages)

Total size: 37 M
Installed size: 118 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
warning: /var/cache/yum/i386/18/rpmfusion-free/packages/live555-0-0.38.2012.10.18.fc18.i686.rpm: Header V3 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID 982e0a7c: NOKEY
Retrieving key from file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmfusion-free-fedora-18-i386

GPG key retrieval failed: [Errno 14] Could not open/read file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmfusion-free-fedora-18-i386

Did a bit of snooping around over the internet and found the missing rpmfusion keys at: http://rpmfusion.org/keys and derived the following solution:-

Step by step solution to the problem [root login used]:-

• I have already compiled the key into a single .gz file, which can be downloaded from this link:
  http://goo.gl/bKoyb
  
• Place the .gz file in the directory: /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/
• #cd /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/
• #tar -xvzf RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmfusion.tar.gz
• rm RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmfusion.tar.gz
• #yum install vlc
• You should get this output after dependency resolution is complete:
  

  Transaction Summary
  ===============================================
  Install 1 Package (+45 Dependent packages)

  Total size: 37 M
  Installed size: 118 M
  Is this ok [y/N]: y
  Downloading Packages:
  warning: /var/cache/yum/i386/18/rpmfusion-free/packages/live555-0-0.38.2012.10.18.fc18.i686.rpm: Header V3 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID 982e0a7c: NOKEY
  Retrieving key from file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmfusion-free-fedora-18-i386
  Importing GPG key 0x982E0A7C:
  Userid : “RPM Fusion free repository for Fedora (18) <rpmfusion-buildsys@lists.rpmfusion.org>”
  Fingerprint: c63d a8f3 375c 7182 3e3a 2d42 3633 9914 982e 0a7c
  From : /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-rpmfusion-free-fedora-18-i386
  Is this ok [y/N]:

• Enter ‘y’ (without the quotes!)

Voila! VLC’s installed!

NOTE:It is highly recommended to do a ‘yum update’ after the installation procedure is complete, as it helps ensuring that the new rpm keys are standards-compliant!

LAMP Setup for Fedora 18

Easy steps to setup Fedora 18 as a LAMP server containing Apache, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby and MySQL.

P.S.: This requires root access to the shell.

Step 1: Open terminal as root user and enter the following:

#yum install -y httpd php php-mysql php-gd php-imap php-ldap php-odbc php-pear php-xml php-xmlrpc php-magickwand php-mbstring php-mcrypt php-mssql php-shout php-snmp php-soap php-tidy php-mysql php-odbc php-pear php-mhash curl perl-libwww-perl ImageMagick libxml2 php-pecl-apc mysql mysql-server phpmyadmin at ruby mod_python perl mod_perl perl-HTML-Parser perl-DBI perl-Net-DNS perl-Digest-SHA1 perl-ExtUtils-AutoInstall perl-NetAddr-IP perl-Archive-Tar

Step 2: To enable the Apache Webserver and MySQL Database server, run:

#systemctl enable httpd.service
#systemctl start httpd.service
#systemctl enable mysqld.service
#systemctl start mysqld.service
#mysql_secure_installation

Adobe Flex Builder 3 Download

Reblogged from Chris Tierney:

I had to track down a download location for Adobe's Flex 3 install today. It was a little hard to find so I thought I'd share this link for a Windows install:

http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flex/flex_builder/FB3_win.exe

Why it's at a macromedia.com address I have no clue, but hope this helps someone out. This defaults to a 60 day trail and you can enter your license as well.

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