Category: Fedora

Gnome Do on Fedora 15

digitaleagle Fedora, Gnome-Do, Uncategorized 1 Comment

I tried to install Gnome Do on my new Fedora 15 installation, and everything went smooth at first.  But, the problem comes when you try to use it.

These are the two packages I installed:
gnome-do-0.8.3.1

And, for the plugins:
gnome-do-plugins-0.8.2-1

So, I tried to launch it from the command line.  I receive a number of these errors:

[Error 12:31:11.906] Could not load desktop item: libgnome-desktop-2.so.17

Then, when I tried to open the preferences, it crashed with this error:


Marshaling activate signal
Exception in Gtk# callback delegate
  Note: Applications can use GLib.ExceptionManager.UnhandledException to handle the exception.
System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.DllNotFoundException: libgnome-desktop-2.so.17
  at (wrapper managed-to-native) Gnome.DesktopItem:gnome_desktop_item_new_from_uri (intptr,int,intptr&)
  at Gnome.DesktopItem.NewFromUri (System.String uri, DesktopItemLoadFlags flags) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.Platform.Linux.SystemService.get_AutoStartFile () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.Platform.Linux.SystemService.IsAutoStartEnabled () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.UI.GeneralPreferencesWidget.get_AutostartEnabled () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.UI.GeneralPreferencesWidget..ctor () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.UI.PreferencesWindow..ctor () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.Core.Controller.ShowPreferences () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.Universe.PreferencesItem.Run () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Do.UI.MainMenu+<MenuItemFromRunnableItem>c__AnonStorey12.<>m__2B (System.Object sender, System.EventArgs e) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at (wrapper managed-to-native) System.Reflection.MonoMethod:InternalInvoke (System.Reflection.MonoMethod,object,object[],System.Exception&)
  at System.Reflection.MonoMethod.Invoke (System.Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, System.Reflection.Binder binder, System.Object[] parameters, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
  at System.Reflection.MonoMethod.Invoke (System.Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, System.Reflection.Binder binder, System.Object[] parameters, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at System.Reflection.MethodBase.Invoke (System.Object obj, System.Object[] parameters) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at System.Delegate.DynamicInvokeImpl (System.Object[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at System.MulticastDelegate.DynamicInvokeImpl (System.Object[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at System.Delegate.DynamicInvoke (System.Object[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at GLib.Signal.ClosureInvokedCB (System.Object o, GLib.ClosureInvokedArgs args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at GLib.SignalClosure.Invoke (GLib.ClosureInvokedArgs args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at GLib.SignalClosure.MarshalCallback (IntPtr raw_closure, IntPtr return_val, UInt32 n_param_vals, IntPtr param_values, IntPtr invocation_hint, IntPtr marshal_data) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
   at GLib.ExceptionManager.RaiseUnhandledException(System.Exception e, Boolean is_terminal)
   at GLib.SignalClosure.MarshalCallback(IntPtr raw_closure, IntPtr return_val, UInt32 n_param_vals, IntPtr param_values, IntPtr invocation_hint, IntPtr marshal_data)
   at Gtk.Application.gtk_main()
   at Gtk.Application.Run()
   at Do.Do.Main(System.String[] args)

The solution was to install the gnome-desktop-2 package.

gnome-desktop-2.32.0

I may still need to tweak the shortcut key, but that at least solves the crash.

Rant: Switching from Ubuntu to Fedora

digitaleagle Fedora, Gnome, Story, Troubleshooting, Ubuntu, Uncategorized, Unity Leave a comment

Ok, I’ve had it with Ubuntu.  Well, for now at least.  I would like to eventually switch back and forth to get the greatest exposure.  But, for now, goodbye Ubuntu (11.04)!  Hello, Fedora 15.

It all started with Java problems.  I have a little time tracker tool that I use to track my billable time at work.  It is pretty ugly, but for me, it is critical — I use it to bill my time.  Tuesday, I started noticing the program crashing with X errors.  To attempt a fix, I tried to upgrade my video driver (Intel) to the latest version.  I tried several PPA repositories, but none of them seemed to work for me.  Finally, I ended up at the EMGD site.  I am still not sure if that driver was compatible with my laptop, but I was desparate and frustrated!  Somehow I got part of the packages installed, and I didn’t get the main EMGD installed.  I ran the “sudo emgd-xorg-conf” command, and that is where I lost it.  My X wouldn’t start; dhclient wouldn’t even connect my eth0.  That was the last straw.

Another issue probably lead up to this problem.  A week prior, I had attempted to copy a Tape to CD by running an audio cable from my tape player to my microphone jack on my computer.  I used Audacity to record.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t record anything via the microphone jack.  No matter what I tried, it only recorded from the built-in microphone.  I tried again to upgrade Pulse Audio with another PPA, but that didn’t help.

So, here’s what I have learned from Fedora in the first few hours:

  • I know now why I have stuck with Ubuntu for so long!  Ubuntu is just so much easier to get up and running quickly.  Command-line is avaliable, but not required.
  • Broadcom Wireless: In Ubuntu 11.04, I just enabled the STA driver in “Additional Drivers”.  I don’t think I have even had to connect the laptop to the wired connection to download it.  In Fedora, I had to install two repositories (easily done from the browser).  Then, I ran a yum command from the terminal to install the driver.  Finally, I had to reboot.  Fedora’s instructions were very easily to follow, but comparing the two, Ubuntu wins hands down.
  • Libre Office: Where is it,  Fedora?  The first thing I do, is create a document and track all the changes I make to the installation so I can do it again on the next release.  To my surprise, Fedora didn’t have Libre Office (or, any Document tool for that matter) installed by default.  Furthermore, when I went to Add/Remove Software, there were tons of packages.  I didn’t see a Meta package that would install a default set of packages.  There was an Office package collection, but it said it was already installed.  I ended up installing the package collection from the command line, and that did the trick.
  • Is RPM/Yum Slow?  I haven’t done any comparisons or anything like that, but for some reason, the packages seem to install much slower in Fedora than Ubuntu.  It may just be because I am ready to get working on my new install, but even individual package installs seem to take a while.
  • Gnome 3.0 versus Unity: it will take some time to form a good opinion.  I am glad for the chance to compare.

Hopefully, you will hear from me more as I get to installing and configuring more.  Stay tuned…

Fedora and Pixar

digitaleagle Fedora, Great Links, Interesting Articles, Uncategorized Leave a comment

While catching up on blogs, I noticed that Paul mentioned he saw Pixar was using Fedora with Toy Story. You can read is posts here and here.

I think it is cool to see Linux used in real world applications. Sometimes it seems like Linux just gets pushed off as a hobbyist tool. In the PeopleSoft world, Linux isn’t an option for the developer’s desktop. Here recently, I have been working with SQL Server installations on Windows servers even for the server side. I feel like a loner as a PeopleSoft developer who uses Linux.  But, Linux has been good to me, as I am sure it has been to Pixar.

On a side note, I went poking around the Internet to see if I could find any more information. I did see that Meta Headers seems to show that Pixar uses Fedora for their web server: “The Pixar.com Server powered by Apache 2.0.49 (Fedora) webserver.” Other than that, I didn’t see anything else related.

So, let me add my two cents to the blogosphere: Good Job Fedora.  Good Job Pixar.

Great Link: Game List from Fedora

digitaleagle Fedora, Games, Uncategorized Leave a comment

I am not much of a game player, but I am always up for a list of software for Linux.  I just recently ran across this list of games on the Fedora Wiki:

Fedora Wiki: Games

I noticed though, that they didn’t list the one game that I have been playing: Super Tux Kart.  My 3-year old enjoys watching me play it, and I enjoy playing it, so it makes a good combination.  I have version 0.6.2, and I just noticed that they are coming out with a 0.7 version!

The other game that my son used to like to watch was Ri-Li.  I didn’t see that one in the list either.

Troubleshooting: StayOnline Connections

digitaleagle Fedora, Troubleshooting, Uncategorized Leave a comment

While staying at a hotel, I had trouble connecting to https web sites.  Basically, I couldn’t log into anything: email, blogging, etc.  The hotel where I was staying had a company called StayOnline managing their network.

First, figuring out what network to connect to was rather confusing.  The card in the room said to connect to the SSID called “stayonline”.  But, that network did not exist.  Instead the right one was called “etwireless”.  When I called the support line, they answered LodgeNet.

Here is what I noticed:

  • I could connect to any website that did not use SSL — “http” only
  • If I rebooted to Windows, I had no problems.
  • In Fedora 9, when I went to any “https” it would just sit and spin.  The connection would eventually time out.

The solution is to disable TCP Window Scaling.  Run this command as root:

echo 0 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/tcp_window_scaling

I found this information from this post:

SSL Problems with StayOnline Hotel Internet Providers

The post mentions that they did not support Linux.  I have to give them credit.  When I told them that I have Linux, they did not turn me away.  I was a little perterbed that they did not know the solution.  This post has been out there since February.  It would be even nicer if they could fix the problem so that Linux user’s don’t have to worry about it.

Resources

Screenlets

digitaleagle Desktop, Fedora, How To, Screenlets, Uncategorized Leave a comment

From Desklets to Screenlets

I tried to install gDesklets, but I had trouble with them.  I found a post that explained how to do it in Ubuntu.  And, I found a package in the Fedora repository for yum.  But, I had the following problems:

  • I never could get the good weather applet to work.
  • I couldn’t get the shortcut key to work for bringing them to the front.
  • The icon displayed by the clock, but it didn’t seem to do anything when I clicked on it (either left or right click)

So, I decided to try screenlets instead.  Maybe I am a little impatient, but I had had trouble with them in Ubuntu too.  I thought a change of scenery might me nice.

Installing Screenlets

To save you a few steps, you might want to run the following command right now.  That will save you from the errors I got as I went through:

yum install python-devel gnome-python2-gnomekeyring

I found the installation instructions on the FAQ.  I found the latest download on the main page at launch pad. I downloaded it to my Download directory and ran the following in a terminal:

cd ~/Download
tar -xzvf screenlets-0.1.1.tar.gz
cd screenlets
sudo python setup.py install

I did get the following error:

error: invalid Python installation: unable to open /usr/lib/python2.5/config/Makefile (No such file or directory)

That was easily fixed by using yum to install python-devel (see this post).

At this point, screenlets was installed, but the next step was to configure it.  I ran:

screenlets-manager

That command gave me this error message:

ImportError: No module named gnomekeyring

This was easily fixed by using yum to install gnome-python2-gnomekeyring (see this post).

After fixing that, the Screenlets Manager opened, and that was all that I had to do.  I rebooted at that point, not that I had to, but I wanted to for another reason.  Amazingly enough, the screenlets was already running by the clock.  I didn’t need to do anything to get it to auto start.

Adding Screenlets

I chose to add the following screenlets:

  • Battery: Displays the battery status of my laptop
  • GMail: I added my email address, and it displays how many messages I have unread
  • Weather: I added my zip code, and it shows the weather for my area
  • SysMonitor: Displayed info about my computer
  • DigiClock: A simple digital clock

Displaying/Hiding

When I first added the screenlets, they were on the top all of the time.  But, I found that I could hide them by making them a widget and removing the Keep Above option:

right click > Window > Widget (checked)
right click > Window > Keep above (unchecked)

Then, I had to configure Compiz.  I opened the CompizConfig Settings Manager, and found Widget Layer under Desktop.  I checked this option, and then looked at the settings.  F9 was the shortcut key, and I added the bottom right corner as another option.

Installing More Screenlets

  • Download the screenlet you wish to install (you don’t need to unzip it)
  • Open the Screenlets Manager
  • Click the Install option on the left panel
  • Choose “Install Screenlet”
  • Browse to the location where you saved the screenlet
  • Find the new Screenlet in the list and start it

Here are the additional Screenlets I downloaded:

Gnome Do Issue

digitaleagle Fedora, Gnome-Do, How To, Troubleshooting, Uncategorized 1 Comment

I installed Gnome Do and really like it.  Just one problem: the keyboard shortcut would not work!  Here is what I did to fix it:

Start Key (Super Key) Issue

From this thread, I found that I could create this text file —

File Name: $HOME/.xmodmaprc
Put the following two lines in the text file:

keycode 115 = Super_L
add Mod4 = Super_L

Run the following command in a terminal window:

xmodmap ~/.xmodmaprc

The Start key worked right away, but when I rebooted, it asked me if I wanted to load the file.  I put the file in the loaded column and it continued to work after the reboot.

Gnome Do Shortcut

I decided to change the command from Start + Space to Start + R (like Windows Start … Run).  Here is what I did:

I used Yum to install gconf-editor.  You may already have the tool, but I did not.

Then, I opened the Configuration Editor — Applications > System Tools > Configuration Editor.

On the left side, I opened the path: / > apps > gnome-do > preferences.

Then, I changed the key_binding on the right to <Super>r.

Resources

Umm… My Super Key Just Stopped Working…

Shortcut not launching gnome-do

Customizing Fedora 9

digitaleagle Compiz/Fusion/Beryl, Desktop, Fedora, Uncategorized 1 Comment

Now that my 3D driver is working, I can play with making things look nice (or, at least different).  Here are some of the things I did:

Installed the Zekton font.  To do so, I downloaded the tar file.  I unzipped it into my Download directory and copied the files to /usr/share/fonts/zekton.

I installed Emerald and got it working.  I lost track of the steps that I went through, and so, I am not the best resource for how to do this.  But, basically, I installed the emerald package from yum along with the compiz-fusion packages.

One package that was very helpful was the ccsm package.  It provided a menu by the clock that would allow me to pick Emerald as the Window decorator or restart it if something broke.  It also had a quick link to the emerald settings and the compiz settings.  To get it to start automatically, I had to add “fusion-icon” to the session (System > Preferences > Personal > Sessions).

Next, I downloaded and installed the Smoke theme.  I used the Emerald Theme Manager to install the theme, and then, I tweaked it a little:

  • Changed the Title/Text Font to “Zekton Bold | 10”
  • Changed the Minimum Title Bar Height to 9
  • Vertical Button Offset to 2
  • Horizontal Button Offset to 4

I tried to update the login screen, but that proved to be a little more difficult.  Here are some links that might help, if you want to try it:

Resources

Gnome-Look.org