Category: Uncategorized

I just read this awesome comparison of PostgreSQL vs MS SQL.

I just read the packaging from some face wipes that I’m using while traveling. Apparently they contain vitamin b5 and e.

Given that you can’t absorb nutrients from a face wipe and it just shows how made up the marketing of these products really is. Bring on the advertising standard agency.

The Oxford to Heathrow Airline Bus doesn’t go to Heathrow Terminal 4.  You get dropped off at Terminal 5 and then need to make your own way to Terminal 4. I found it super confusion and therefore thought I would write some directions to Terminal 4 are to:

1) Go to Level 0
2) Go outside to bus stop 7
3) Take bus 482 or 490.

This takes you directly to Terminal 4 and is free.

I’ve been working on a commercial project where we would have liked to use Ghostscript. To use ghostscript in a commercial settings (i.e. to distribute it alongside binary code) you need to have a license.   At the time of writing (September 2014) – the costs for this are rather prohibitive:

There is a minimum $8000 per quarter and a $5000 set-up fee. This fee can increase depending your business usage.

Wow. That’s too rich for me. Time to find another pdf lib.

It’s a classic mistake. You buy an ipod, import all your music into itunes, sync it onto the ipod… then at some point loose the computer. Suddenly, your ipod has all of your music on it and you can’t get it off. Don’t panic… there is hope but it does cost you $35. Yes, there are other solutions to this problem but this is something anyone can go.

Install itunes on a new computer
You will need the drivers for your ipod and therefore you need to download and install itunes.

Stop itunes automatically syncing
Once you have installed itunes, you need to make sure that it doesn’t automatically override the music on your ipod by automatically syncing nothing over the top. To this go to:

Edit -> Preference -> Devices and check ‘Prevent Ipods… from automatically syncing’.

Buy a copy of iExplore
Iexplore is the program which makes this really easy to do. The only draw back is that it costs $35. Personally, I think this is completely reasonable given that it saved over 2,000 songs for me. Buy a copy of the software, download and install it.

Plug in your device
with a usb cable.

Open Iexplore
Browse to device -> music -> select all the tracks and then you can transfer either to itunes or a folder.

Job done.

I looked at buying a black Seat Ibiza with number plate GN10KJZ. I did a HPI check and it came up clear. However, while looking through the car manual, I found a memo from ASM Autos which are salvage and breakers yard.

I then looked under at the engine compartment and found that substantial repair work had been carried out – including the removal of all the engine bolts, a new enginer, side wings and a respray. This information was not explained to me by the used car sales man and the cars history has been ‘forgotten’.

If you reading this page because you are checking up on this car – can I recommend that examine it very carefully (preferably with a mechanic present) – before committing to purchase this vehicle.

I’ve decided to stop using Ubuntu as my primary home computer and make the switch to OSX. I’ve purchased a new Macbook Pro and for the first time ever not immediately installed Ubuntu. I love Ubuntu (and this blog is 99% all about Ubuntu); so why have I decided to make this change?

Why go to OSX?

1 – My company has started developing software for Windows and Mac. I need to test the software. I can run Windows and Linux in a VM but can’t run OSX without a Mac.

2 – I don’t have some much time to geek and make Ubuntu work with my Android phone, my wifes Mac, a Nas, 4oD, Amazon streaming videos or any other random bits of hardware and software I need. Fundementally, OSX is better supported and just works most of the time.

That doesn’t diminish how brilliant Ubuntu is. It’s awesome and does 99% of what I want. I have written this post because perhaps there are other people changing from Ubuntu to OSX. So, I thought that I would note down the changes that I made to the default OSX – after all it isn’t perfect!

HyperDock – I miss the awesome windows snapping of Ubuntu Unity. Hyperdock brings this to Mac.

Pathfinder – The default file manager on Apple really sucks. No folders? WTF? Install Path Finder.

Firefox / Chrome – Let’s be honest – Safari sucks.

Libre Office – Apple provide Numbers and Words which are simply too basic for my taste.

Install a repository
Would you believe it but Apple don’t have a system repository like Linux. By default you simply can’t just ‘apt-get install randompackage’. This feels like lossing my right arm after living with the awesome repositories the Ubuntu / Debian provide. Luckily, the open source communitry have made a solution. It is called Brew.

You install Brew by running:

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/Homebrew/homebrew/go/install)"

Then you can now run this one line…

brew install package

You can check for updates:

brew update

and upgrade like so:

brew upgrade

Install zsh
After using the awesome Ubuntu terminal, the default Apple terminal feels pants. You can fix this is just a couple of lines once you have Brew installed.

http://jakoblaegdsmand.com/blog/2013/04/how-to-get-an-awesome-looking-terminal-on-mac-os-x/

Remove the stupid [Process Completed] messages – When you exit the terminal you get the most annoying [Process completed]. This is super annoying.

Go to Terminal -> Preferences -> Settings -> Shell . Change “When the shell exits” to “Close if the shell exited cleanly”. This will close the window immediately after [Process completed] has shown.

Remove the stupid donk sounds –

 

I’m still learning about Mac’s and am updating this posts with all the changes that I made.  I will keep editing this post as I change other things.

We are starting to upgrade lots of machines now that support for Windows XP has ended. Naturally, we are installing Ubuntu on as many machines as possible… but sometimes there are software restrictions and we have to make a purchasing decision between Apple and Windows.

Apple hardware is cheaper longterm
What is really interesting it that we are finding it is cheaper to replace Windows machines with Apple Macs. Surely this isn’t possible!? Well actually it is. Here is how I see it. There are obviously two components that make up a computer:

Hardware
Generic super crap Windows hardware is cheaper than Apple hardware. However, if you get something good quality, there isn’t much in it. For example:

• Windows Machine – a Fujitsu Esprimo E410 E85+ SFF Desktop with Intel Core i5-3340 3GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD and a confusing mixture of Windows 7 + 8 Pro 64bit – £449.00 from Ebuyer.
• Apple Machine – Apple Mac mini 2.5GHz Dual Core Intel Core i5 4GB 500GB – £479.00 from Dabs.

The processor is better on the Fujitsu but not by much and even though Fujistu make great gear there is no denying that the quality of the Mac Mini is the best. Note – you can’t upgrade either without voiding their warranties.

Software
Short term, we don’t need to purchase anti-virus, firewalls and generally remove the bundled crap that always comes with a Windows machine. In fact, everything just works better on a Mac out the box.

Longterm, you always need to reinstall and upgrade an operating system in the future. The key here is that Apple makes it free to upgrade or reinstall. Windows charge around £100 for a license. Therefore, over the life of the machine it will cheaper to own an Apple product.

I’ve been a member of the Naked Wines – however I come to conclusion that it isn’t very good value for money and the range of wines isn’t very good. However, it isn’t clear how to cancel your naked wines account and Google doesn’t have this as a good page range. This post isn’t purely to help that!

Here is a link to cancel your Naked Wine subscription:

Cancel your Naked wine subscription

Ubuntu 14.04 has just been released. I have installed it on all my computer and most of our servers. Everything seems to be working really well. So well done Ubuntu and Canonical.