Since my programming experience started from Microsoft Windows, SVN is a term I frequent see yet unfamiliar.

As a programmer, I need to backup my source code whenever I modified the existing source code. If I have any problem, I can restore to the runnable source code. Backing up the coding by using zip or others compression tools is not effective or effecient.

SVN can help to backup all the revisions of the source code. Not only that, it helps to solve the problem if a project involves several developers. Any conflicts of the coding will be detected. SVN can also be used individually.

Linux is a great OS. Open source and free. Can work as server or desktop. There are a lot of applications: office suite, internet web browser, email client, image editor, 3D modeler, games, online games, software development tools, etc. Using Linux, I can almost do anything I want just as I am using proprietary OS.

However, there is a drawback. If a computer cannot be used for playing games, then it will not be 100% perfect. Yes, Linux has a lot of free and open source games, but I feel that there is still a gap between free games and the commercial games. Though I may not use Linux to play the latest game, at least it should allow me to play my favourite game.

Yes, again. HP Mini 1000 series, small screen, lightweight, RAM is not big. I like Ubuntu Desktop Edition, though there is Ubuntu Netbook Remix, it is not my favourite. Because I use the netbook just like a desktop, got a lot of developers’ tools, GIMP, etc.

Ubuntu, using GNOME as the desktop environment. I like GNOME because I like GTK+. I like GTK+ because I like C programming. Then, I read an article about Xfce, which is more lightweight thant GNOME. Which is also using GTK+. So I tried it.

As a programmer, I like the Unix commands “find” and “grep”. They are too good. “find” to find the files recursively based on file name, file type, etc, then execute command towards the files.

“grep” is even more better, when I want to find some words in the source code, and I can use regular expression. Combine “grep” with “sed”, one can perform search and replace.

However, when I want to search and replace for multiple patterns, “sed” will be difficult to be used. One can write a shell script to perform the task. But “awk” (or GNU awk) will be a better solution for me. Write an awk script, can search and replace easier, and awk script allows to use variables.

This is not an easy work for me.

1. Firstly, I download the Ubuntu 10.10 alternative CD ISO.
2. Then, following upgrade using the shell script by following this article.
3. Restart

No wireless device detected, cannot connect internet through WiFi. What the X?! I used this method before by upgrading from 9.10 to 10.4, but this time fail.

1. Then use the broadband connect to the internet
2. System > Administration > Additional Drivers
3. Download and update certain things, I don’t know what are they
4. Found “Broadcom STA wireless driver”
5. Activate
6. Failed! Ask me to check /var/log/jockey.log

Then I think I need to update everything, so I run System > Administration > Update Manager. Then I asked for “Partial Upgrade”, and needs to download about 200Mb data. Not the good solution. Search solution online. Then I found this.

I never thought that JPrayer Clock will be awarded. But this is interesting. The “Famous Software Award” from www.FamousWhy.com gives me more motivation for the open source software development. Good!

GMail Basic HTML Enhancement enhances the GMail Basic HTML with “select all” and “select none” feature.

I just updated GMail Basic HTML Greasemonkey script version 1.1. This is because previous version the script works only on Firefox, but not Google Chrome. Now, I managed to use another way to solve the problem, so that the script now can even works on Google Chrome.

Prayer Clock 0.1.4 is released, together with JPrayer Clock. Not many changes.

The important change is to solve the relative path problem. This is because if create a launcher on the desktop on Ubuntu, one cannot launch the application. This is because the application will load the XML files in the current working directory, where the current working directory might not be the directory of the Prayer Clock.

Click here to download.

Compare to the Firefox, I prefer to run Chromium in my netbook. This is because the screen of the netbook is small, and the resolution is low. Using Firefox, the toolbars and file menu already occupies half of the screen. I think Firefox 4.0 will solve my problem.

Then, using Firefox on the netbook with Ubuntu, playing Castle Age will make Firefox slow down. May be the reason is the netbook memory is smaller than normal laptop.

When I was using Windows to manage my files, I always open a lot of windows to move my files. Even the window is already open, I will open a new window.  Because it is difficult for me to find the opened windows. And my taskbar will full of tasks.

So, I tried to find a Windows Explorer replacement. Tried all the best free file managers by Gizmo’s Freeware. Then, only FreeCommander fulfils my needs. There is no need to open a lot of windows.