Politics in Flanders, language and culture June 11, 2009
Posted by claudio in Uncategorized.6 comments
Just a small remark about something that got my attention on a pro-indepence post of Martijn on planet grep (in response to Wouter):
Cultural differences do exist. Wallonia is French, therefore latin culture. Flanders is Dutch, therefore Germanic. If you’ve ever even remotely looked at history, you won’t be able to deny there are huge differences between these two. Not all are better in Germanic cultures (pace of life eg), but the differences are clear.
Putting my linguist and culture scientist hat on, I can say that imagined north-south comparisons are very common and specifically very relative. Yes, within Belgium the South is Latin, warmer and bon-vivant. The North is Germanic, reserved and more intellectual. Looking how the dutch-speaking Netherlands (that used to be one region with Belgium in the past) looks at the north of Belgium (Flanders) is kind of funny. You get it: dutch-speaking (northern) Belgians are more Latin, warmer and bon-vivant. They like to party and eat. They are not like the North (the Netherlands): protestant, laborious and more reserved, and so on and on.
You can make the same exercise within Italy, between North en South Europe, within Spain, with Spain and Latin-America and so on. You’ll get tired of finding examples on all possible scales. And guess what, if Belgium was split, we would find differences with the more peripheral provinces (as they really are present today, e.g. in jokes). By the way, the name of the game is stereotype.
PS: If you want to read more about it, I suggest to have a look at the work of Dutch literary scientist J. Leersen.
PS2: maybe an important addition: stereotypes are instable and change through time. Not so long ago Flanders was the romantic region in the Belgian imaginery.
Some ideas on method auto-completion in Padre June 9, 2009
Posted by claudio in Perl, Programming.Tags: eclipse, epic, komode edit, netbeans, Padre, Perl, Programming
12 comments
Auto-completion is a nice feature for an IDE. While Padre supports some auto-completion functions, method auto-completion is an important missing feature. This post is a short round-up of features present in other IDEs.
What auto-completion features does Padre support today?
Beside automatic bracket completion, Padre has a nice auto-completion implementation for variables (first character -including sigil- then ctrl + p):
Eclipse + Epic
Epic (an add-on to Eclipse) has a nice working auto-completion feature activated by the method invocator (->).
As a reference, the java auto-completion in Eclipse:
Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit also has auto-completion for methods, but does not show those inherited from parent classes making the feature rather useless for OO development.
Netbeans
Netbeans has no Perl support, nevertheless the java auto-completion feature is a good example:
The method auto-completion feature is activated by the “.” (”->” in Perl). Not only you get a list of accessible methods (with expected parameter type and return value), but also the javadoc documentation for the selected method.
How should Padre support method auto-completion? Some ideas
- Method autocomplete should be activated by “->” and “::”. This way class hierarchies can be autocompleted as well. With “::” support for functions can be added.
- Private methods should be hidden. By convention, private methods start with “_”.
- Linking method autocomplete to perldoc is a winner combination when programming to not yet familiar APIs and certainly friendly to new Perl developers. While Perl is not strictly typed, a well formatted perldoc entry for a method should make clear what kind of parameters are expected and what the return value could be. However, documentation is rather freely formatted, so it would be difficult to implement in a generic way (without adding formatting restriction to classes).
JavaFX compiler for Linux very soon? May 11, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop, GNU/Linux, Java, Programming, Solaris.Tags: Java, javafx, netbeans, sun
1 comment so far
Good news. It seems that Linux and Solaris are getting the JavaFX development kit. Finally. In the fight against Silverlight and AIR every developer counts. Still some questions remain open:
- Will SUN open JavaFX completely now (don’t make the JDK error twice!)?
- When will -at least- Netbeans get a JavaFX graphical editor in the same level as the Netbeans’ Matisse Swing editor?
- And last but not least, what will Oracle do with JavaFX when it owns SUN?
Anyway, if the apparently well-informed rumour is true, it is indeed good news.
Add rar extraction to Gnome’s Archive Manager (file-roller) May 11, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop, Ubuntu.Tags: file-roller, gnome, GNU/Linux, Rar, Ubuntu
1 comment so far
You may see this when trying to decompress a rar file:
Too bad that file-roller does not tell you what to do (in contrast to Rhythmbox when new codecs need to be installed).
The solution is very simple, just install unrar like this:
sudo apt-get install unrar
That’s it. The Archive Manager can uncompress rared files now.
Install 64-bit upstream Vuze (aka azureus) on Ubuntu 9.04 April 28, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop, Ubuntu.Tags: 64-bit linux, azureus, GNU/Linux, Ubuntu, vuze
2 comments
On our 64-bit series, we continue today with Vuze. There is a slightly older version on the Ubuntu repositories, so if you just want a running vuze, you can be happy and stop reading.
However, if you prefer to use the upstream latest version (vuze has its own update mechanism) on Ubuntu 64-bit, this is what you can do:
1. Create a local directory for applications. I use ~/bin.
mkdir ~/bin
2. Download and uncompress vuze.
cd ~/bin
tar xvjf Vuze_Installer.tar.bz2
(Alternatively you can use the Archive Manager and copy the vuze directory to bin in your home directory).
3. Download swt (SWT binary and source, Linux (x86_64/GTK 2)) for Linux 64-bit. Open it with the Archive Manager and copy swt.jar to ~/bin/vuze (~ is your Home Directory). (The download page is rather confusing, make sure you download swt and not eclipse).
4. Create a launcher for vuze by right clicking on Applications and choosing “Edit Menus”. The command is “/home/<YOUR USERNAME HERE>/bin/vuze/azureus %f” and the icon can be found in “/home/<YOUR USERNAME HERE>/bin/vuze/”
That’s it.
Ubuntu release party: Installeer Ubuntu Linux op je computer! (Belgium, dutch) April 28, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop, Misc, UNIX, Ubuntu.Tags: belgium, brussels, Ubuntu, ubuntu release party
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I received this invitation for the Ubuntu Release Party of Indymedia.be:
Ubuntu release party: Installeer Ubuntu Linux op je computer!
Waar: Indymedia.be mediacentrum
Adres: Haachtse Steenweg 51, Brussel
Op 24 april verschijnt de nieuwe versie van Ubuntu Linux, een alternatief besturingssysteem voor je computer. Indymedia.be nodigt je uit op een ‘release party’: breng op zondag 27 april je computer mee, en we installeren samen Ubuntu.
Het Indymedia.be mediacentrum bevindt zich vlakbij de Botanique, 5 min. wandelen van het Noordstation). Klik hier voor een wegbeschrijving.
Wat is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is een eenvoudig te gebruiken besturingssysteem voor je computer. Het bevat alle nodige programma’s om je computer te gebruiken, netjes verzameld op één enkele cd. Bovendien bevat Ubuntu tekstverwerkings- en spreadsheetprogramma’s, kan je ermee op het web surfen en je e-mail lezen.
Dit alles maakt van Ubuntu een prima alternatief voor Microsoft Windows of Apple’s OS X. Je kan er alle huis-tuin-en-keuken-computerwerk zonder problemen mee verrichten (en nog veel meer) – en het is volledig gratis te verkrijgen en te onderhouden. Ubuntu staat ook bekend als een uiterst stabiel en veilig systeem.
Ubuntu is vrije software: je mag het systeem vrij gebruiken, kopiëren, aanpassen en verder verspreiden. Het is ook ‘community developed’: het wordt door talloze vrijwillige programmeurs van over de hele wereld ontwikkeld.
Meer weten over Ubuntu? Surf naar http://www.ubuntu.com, of bezoek de website van de Belgische Ubuntu community: http://www.ubuntu-be.org.
Wat doen we op zondag 3 mei?
We houden een zogenaamde ‘release party’: naar aanleiding van de nieuwe versie van Ubuntu, nodigen we je uit om samen Ubuntu te installeren op je computer, problemen met bestaande installaties proberen op te lossen of gewoon een koffieklets houden over Ubuntu, vrije software, …
- Als je Ubuntu wil installeren op je computer, maak dan zeker en vast op voorhand een kopie van al je documenten, foto’s, e-mails, … die op je computer staan. Er kan immers altijd iets fout lopen.
- Wil je Ubuntu uitproberen maar niet noodzakelijk installeren op je computer? Dat kan. De Ubuntu-cd laat je toe de volledige Ubuntu-omgeving te testen, zonder ook maar iets op je computer te installeren (aan de hand van een zogenaamde live cd).
- Het is ook mogelijk om Ubuntu en een ander besturingssysteem (bijvoorbeeld Windows) naast elkaar te gebruiken op dezelfde computer – op voorwaarde dat je computer over voldoende schijfruimte beschikt.
Zin om mee te doen?
Als je op 3 mei naar de Ubuntu release party komt, stuur dan een mailtje naar Bruno De Bondt: bruno@indymedia.be. Vermeld in je mail met hoeveel personen je komt en hoeveel computers je in totaal meebrengt – liefst ook wat je met die computer wil doen (installeren of enkel testen). Zo krijgen we een idee van de nodige netwerkinfrastructuur, installatie-cd’s, …
Aan de Ubuntu-kenners onder jullie:
Als je zin hebt om mee te helpen met installeren, of mensen mee op weg wil helpen met Ubuntu, contacteer dan Bruno De Bondt (bruno@indymedia.be) of Han Soete (han@indymedia.be).
Install 64-bit Adobe Flash Player on Ubuntu 9.04 April 26, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop, Ubuntu.Tags: 64-bit, 64-bit linux, flash, GNU/Linux, Ubuntu
23 comments
Now that there is a java browser plugin and a working wine for 64-bit on the Ubuntu repositories, there is not much holding back 64-bit Linux on the desktop. Maybe the only thing missing is the Adobe Flash player. Most of the time Flash is just annoying, nevertheless sometimes needed. Luckily, there is now a Flash Player release for 64-bit Linux (however, still beta alpha but stable so far) . I am pretty sure the instructions are identical for other Linux distributions.
To install it:
1. Download it from here.
2. Unpackage it:
cd
tar xvzf libflashplayer-10.0.22.87.linux-x86_64.so.tar.gz
3. Create a plugin directory in your $HOME (instead of a system directory):
mkdir -p .mozilla/plugins
4. Move the file to the plugin directory:
mv libflashplayer.so .mozilla/plugins
5. Restart firefox. Go to about:plugins to see if it’s enabled:
That’s it.
I don’t like monkeys in the house April 24, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop, General UNIX, Java, Programming, Ubuntu.Tags: GNU/Linux, Java, mono
2 comments
There have been some controversy about the .Net clone on Gnu/Linux: Mono.
I have been running Linux before Mono appeared and I remember the discussions. To be short: most reasons to introduce .Net on Linux are clearly bogus today. If you really want to use a high-level language with a VM, well … use Java (there are java-gtk2 bindings if you prefer a more native look than swing-gtk or swt-gtk). If you want to make it perfect, spend a fraction of the time and money of copying/rewriting a full stack (including a VM) and fix what need to be fixed on Java (specially now that’s GPL2). Besides, there are pretty decent IDEs that make you productive . If Java isn’t your cup of coffee tea (It should be as C# looks pretty similar to me), there are tons of other languages with gtk-bindings (I use gtk2-perl).
Anyway, being a user of a minority OS, there was one argument that stuck then: “we will enable thousands of windows programmers to run their programs unchanged on Linux”. I remember the apocalyptic warnings of “jumping on the .Net boat or drown and disappear”. Guess what, it didn’t happen. And it won’t happen. Windows developers prefer to write for the full and up-to-date .Net stack instead of an outdated Linux-clone. Nothing earth-shocking here. As long as the complete stack is not open (libraries), you will always play -incompatible- catchup.
What did we get instead? Beside a few proprietary applications (that can be counted on one hand), we’ve got some tools and applications that mainly run on Linux. Some of them are very nice, but nothing revolutionary that can not be written in an other language.
Do we need to live in fear of Microsofts lawyers for a few applications that can be written in a risk-free language or stack (e.g. Tomboy => Gnote)? To be honest, as long as the OS and my DE (Gnome) don’t depend on Mono, I don’t really care. If Microsoft sends its lawyers, there is always “apt-get purge libmono0 mono-common”. The problem I see is that Novell is pushing really hard to make Gnome dependant on Mono.
Removing Mono in that situation will mean holding the broken pieces of the Desktop in your hands.
Indymedia.be FOSS tech call March 20, 2009
Posted by claudio in GNU/Linux, Misc, UNIX, Ubuntu.Tags: "tech call", foss, media, volunteers
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I received this very interesting mail from indymedia.be. They are a 100% free and open source based organisation heavily based on drupal and GNU/Linux.
Hello,
Indymedia.be, the belgian chapter of the global Indymedia network, is forming a tech volunteer team to work on their website. The goal is to build an advanced participatory news website, based on Drupal. Features will include: an on line newsroom, sub websites to allow local and thematic groups to operate their own part of the site, automated video transcoding, and much more. If you’re interested in helping out and being part of a group of highly motivated tech people, read on at http://www.indymedia.be/en/node/32264.
thanks,
- bruno
Specially for people on the belgian planet grep, this is a great opportunity to combine foss ideals, technical knowledge and social commitment.
The end of an era: ICQ March 8, 2009
Posted by claudio in Desktop.Tags: icq, im, obsolete
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There was a time when icq was the only IM-application in town. Unbelievable that twelve years have already passed.
Today there is an open protocol alternative that I prefer (jabber), but because I use a multi-protocol client I didn”t mind adding my icq contacts.
Having a look at my contacts, I can see that most people are using the MS protocol/client (the one with the annoying nicknames) or jabber/gtalk. There is a bridge between AOL/ICQ en the -probably closed- protocol of ichat, resulting in MacOSX users being the only reason to have an icq account.
Well, even the last MacOsX users on my contactlist moved to gtalk. So I guess no reason to use icq, specially knowing that AOL, the owner company, likes to break the protocol often to annoy users of third-party clients.
Anyway, kthxbye.
