Category Archives: Linux

All my Linux related posts

/usr, Linux, Mathematics

Open Office Latex plugin

4 Comments

Most Mathematicians use Latex for their documents on the other hand most ‘normal’ people use some sort of word processor.

The Open Office Latex plugin is the compromise.

Basically the only reason you would use it over Latex is…..

You can share an open office file with your non Latex converted friends, you know those statistics students who are doing other degrees not maths and you are forced to do group work with them.

Other reasons yeah.. OOo has a spell checker … it’s easier to insert pictures.

Anyway installation: go grab the file from http://ooolatex.sourceforge.net/ save and download.

Install using the install extensions tool in open office. Installs just like a Firefox extension.

yeah next part is configuring it.

Open Office latex plugin

Frankly the instructions on the website where lacking at this part of the process.

I couldn’t find the config section because I didn’t notice the new bar underneath file.

And no suggestions where the binaries for Latex and ghostscript would be except for a mac screenshot. But since this is my ubuntu box it was easier solved with locate:

/usr/bin/

For both binaries.

Next thing was having a play.

Using the “equation” button, you are presented with a fairly confusing screen, working out things like when you select inline in the equation menu you don’t need to put in the $ $ and selecting emf as the output image format didn’t work so I used png, took some trial and error.

Basically the plug-in has no polish.. only experienced computer and latex users should give it a go.

/usr, Linux, Mathematics

Installing JMP on ubuntu

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In order to do my stat2000 labs i need to use JMP, the university gives out copies of JMP out to students on some sort of site licences, the instructions where to go down to uprint and pick up a disk for a small fee ($5). I went down got my disk took it home, and too my disappointment it was only the windows version. JMP is multi-platform as shown by the System Requirements

A couple emails later to lecturers then he emailed desktop services, i got a email saying that they have a license file for me and a disk with the Linux installer.

Which brings the next problem the linux installer really is only a Red Hat installer. And my linux of choice is of course ubuntu.

gabriel@ubuntu1:/media/cdrom$ ls -la
total 506854
dr-xr-xr-x 10 root root 4096 2008-03-06 12:07 .
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 2008-03-13 16:57 ..
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 10 2008-03-06 12:07 cd.id
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 fonts
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 java
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 29142815 2007-09-29 04:46 jmp-base-al-7.0.1-1.i686.rpm
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 54675183 2007-09-29 04:46 jmp-lang-deDE-7.0.1-1.noarch.rpm
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 54591039 2007-09-29 04:46 jmp-lang-enUS-7.0.1-1.noarch.rpm
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 54693795 2007-09-29 04:46 jmp-lang-frFR-7.0.1-1.noarch.rpm
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 119767152 2007-09-29 04:47 jmp-lang-jaJP-7.0.1-4.noarch.rpm
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 92146971 2007-09-29 04:47 jmp-lang-koKR-7.0.1-3.noarch.rpm
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 106242682 2007-09-29 04:47 jmp-lang-zhCN-7.0.1-4.noarch.rpm
-r-xr-xr-x 1 root root 5241003 2007-09-29 04:48 jmp-setup
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 2477691 2007-09-29 04:48 jmp-setup-al-1.2-3.i686.rpm
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 media_data
dr-xr-xr-x 3 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 order_data
dr-xr-xr-x 3 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 product_data
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 11536 2007-09-29 04:45 ReadMe.html
dr-xr-xr-x 8 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 Resources
dr-xr-xr-x 3 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 tools
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 2048 2008-03-06 12:07 unixODBC

So we have a random binary jmp-setup and some rpms.

So we start with the rpms i think. Start be installing alien
sudo apt-get install alien

The next setup is moving the files off the cd-rom on to the hard drive as alien needs to be run where you have read write access.

We convert the following rpms.

sudo alien jmp-lang-enUS-7.0.1-1.noarch.rpm
sudo alien jmp-setup-al-1.2-3.i686.rpm
sudo alien jmp-base-al-7.0.1-1.i686.rpm

Install your new debs using dpkg

sudo dpkg -i jmp-setup-al_1.2-4_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i jmp-lang-enus_7.0.1-2_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i jmp-base-al_7.0.1-2_i386.deb

I located JMP in my /opt/SAS/JMP7 folder.

I ran sudo ./jmp and yay it showed up in well outdated qt goodness..3.3.8 but the next problem was the license file, i copied and pasted it over from the email i was sent and added it but apparently it’s invalid. Of course having to run jmp as root isn’t ideal but it’s better than rebooting to windows.

Edit:

After reading the License file again there where 2 lines which looked odd 32 and 33, they started the line with a * instead of a space like all the other lines. i deleted these leading *’s and what do you know the file worked fine i now have a working version of JMP installed on ubuntu.

No Problems found yet but i haven’t started my assignment.

Linux

University of Newcastle wireless update

The documentation is now at a stage that’s it is in a readable usable fashion for all users.

It’s still heavly favours ubuntu users but there is some comments about the EeePC unfortunately Xandros/Asus didn’t think you would ever want to connect to a 802.1X connection with a Eeepc so they left wpa_supplicant out and didn’t include the handlers in the madwifi driver.

If you came here looking for help go here: wiki.newcastlelug.org

Another useful tool i’ve found is that firefox has a nice extension called Foxy Proxy which allows me to change proxy settings in firefox by just clicking on the tool bar. it also has a quick guide to how to change proxies based on your ip address But you need to write a pac file to do this so it’s another days job.

Problems outstand:

  • Can’t connect to POP3 at uni
  • Can’t connect to irc on wireless can at terminals
  • Haven’t worked out how to get ssh access back to home.

aside note google is taking it’s sweet time to find the wiki on the website so it may be awhile before people find the documenation. 🙁

Kymoie, Linux

Steps to getting my (Kym’s) Dual Digital 4 card working

Trial x+1 on getting my TV tuner card to work after kernel updates.

following the “How to install DVB devices”

then at step 2 switching to Chris Pascoe’s notes after “At step 2”

or if reinstalling:

sudo rm -r xc-test
to remove old source files if you have them

hg clone http://linuxtv.org/hg/~pascoe/xc-test/
cd xc-test
make
sudo make install
sudo init 6

NOTE: do not do ‘sudo make’, or ‘sudo make && make install’ it doesn’t work.

for some reason (either updating envy, 2.6.22-14-generic kernel, or chris has updated something) my nvidia drivers worked this time (169.09)

/dev/random, Linux

Computer bank visit

Ok today I went to Newcastle local computerbank despite the name this group is unrelated to most computer banks around. it’s mainly a windows shop but that has more to do with the volunteers knowledge is limited more than any theological differences of why windows is better than linux.

I went there to pick up some cheap computers to act as workstation for work.

What I got.

Hardware:
Dell case
40gb hdd
2.4 Ghz P4
256 MB RAM
ATI graphics (glxgears 650 fps off live cd)
Intel Motherboard
1 Gbps on-board NIC
lntel audio

Software:

because there was a windows XP OEM sticker on the box they had windows XP installed. along with every anti-virus anti-spywear program… AVG ad-ware… so much crap i decided it needed a wipe.. i did get warned as i took them out if it’s going in a “secure” area i should reloaded as he couldn’t tell me what they have preloaded. As they didn’t have any QA or standard installs.

What i gave:
Since Computer bank is a subsection of Community Helping Hands Association and that charity pays for there power and adsl, also the CHHA does their paper work for them. I handed over a donation to CHHA for more than what the computers where worth on behalf of Sneddon & Partners Solicitors. Also because the guys there are nice they let me pick through the shelf until i found something good and they are slowly letting us educate them about linux.

For contact information see http://www.chha.org.au/

/dev/random, /usr, Linux

University of Newcastle wireless and network

Back at uni again to my horror the IT guys changed the wireless. all the time spent on writing a really nice documentation on how to connect all wasted since they now used a completely different connection method ,  this time i decided to rewrite the doc but use a wiki so it can be edited by others.

So if you’ve come to this site going how do i do the dam thing see wiki.newcastlelug.org

Currently it still in development but it’s moving on quickly since it’s now Wednesday, the changes happened Monday and last time it took me 3 months to work it out this time 2-3 hours.

Biggest change to the uni wireless seems to be the access control program i can’t get my POP3 emails or my IMAP emails while at uni which is a big pain. that and the access control program requires java which isn’t always installed on our linux laptops is it !

Anyway i should be concentrating back on classes but you know how it is.

Gabriel

/usr, Linux

Linux Software RAID

Setting up a new computer for Sneddon & Partners , We decided we wanted a RAID system since data these days is now always more expensive than the computers and we’ve just had a string of failures on our older systems.

The Motherboard is a giga-byte GA-P35-DS3P which contains a Intel
ICH9R RAID controller, i didn’t really know about software RAID when i
brought it and thought intel good they support linux and Phoronix
gave it 9/10 in a review it all must work

Ok i’ve discovered it’s a software raid… and what that means.

So now i had 2 choices:
1. I could try and use the Software RAID Intel chip, this would involve using dmraid which hard really hard install instructions https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FakeRaidHowto , through after reading the instructions and some advice from IRC i came to the conclusion i only needed to this this if i was dual booting with windows.

2. I could use Linux software RAID mdadm to create a software raid just turn my hard drives into 2 standard sata drives and go on my merry way.

obviously I choose 2, and since the Ubuntu Community Wiki didn’t have instructions so set about writing them https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SoftwareRAID
Waiting for some people to find the site for a bit of feedback but we’ll see how it goes.

Linux, linux.conf.au

Tiger airways

We flew into Melbourne taking the new Tiger air ways.

Frankly for $25 dollars a ticket we expected a lot worse. The flight was on time  it wasn’t crowded.

The only disappointment was when  we got into Melbourne airport it has a cow shed for a terminal, basically they converted  part of the car park, put a tin roof on it, fenced it off and put a  baggage carousel around it.

All in all likely to flight with  tiger again .

/dev/random, Kymoie, Linux

Fixing kyms kernel

Because we haven’t gotten around to reinstalling kubuntu on kyms machine every time it does a kernel upgrade it breaks the nvidia drivers and the FusionHDTV drivers

Fixing it:

sudo -s


cd v4l-dvb-6591-dd4-withremote
make && make install

this should reinstall the fusionhdtv dual digital 4, if for some reason the folder isn’t there download a new copy form chris http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~chrisp/Linux-DVB/DVICO/6591/v4l-dvb-6591-dd4-withremote.tar.gz

type exit to leave super user mode (root)
now to reinstall your nvidia drivers. we cheated and just used envy to do this to launch envy in text mode use
envy -t

your computers is now reset and everything works again

Linux

LOGIN update

We ended the year with a lot of no shows. But that’s ok as it was so close to the 26th of December, we sorta expected everyone to be busy anyway.

So with the roughly 10 of us there we all had some chips and lollies, while chris showed off his new ASUS eeepc. Tony showed of his cast (broken foot)  and kde 4, and one of the other guys did a new install of linux onto his brand new laptop.

Good meeting.

To all our Linux Owners Group In Newcastle members have a great chirstmas and New year, and I’ll see you all again in February the 18th. As we skip our meeting in January for Linux.conf.au

Gab