Sunday, November 28, 2010

Info:Ubuntu: Software/Package I installed after installing ubunut 10.04 lucid

a) Mp3 plugins for RythmBox - Music Player
b) Storage Device Manager pysadm - Auto Mounting Windows Partition
c) Artha - Sort of WordWeb
d) Broadcom Drivers  - Wireless Network
e) g++                        - Programming
f) Chromium              - Browser
g) Fatrat                     - Torrent/Files/HTTP download (combination of torrent and wget)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Info:Ubuntu:Dell Inspiron 1564, Ubuntu, Broadcom Drivers

Most of the Dell Inspiron 1564 comes with preinstalled Windows 7. The wireless network adapter would work fine this. But, if we try to install ubuntu any version (i presume, tried 9.04,9.10,10.04) as dual os /single os, the wireless network wont be detected. To Circumvent this problem, we have to download and compile and manually install the required module in uubuntu.

Download the driver tar file and extract and follow the steps mentioned in README file.

http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php

Steps followed by me.


a) First downloaded 64 bit version, since windows 7 is 64 bit os. After extracting and giving make, it gaves some error regarding compatability issue (some i386) while linking.

b) So downloaded 32 bit version, it compiled and linked correctly and gave wl.ko



# make clean   (optional)
# make 
c) Checked whether wl.ko existed in lib/modules/"kernel_version"/kernel/net/wireless
d) It does not exist in my case
e) we have to remove the existing b43, ssb and wl modules, before installing new wl module, so checked and removed it (b43 and ssb existed for me)
# lsmod  | grep "b43\|ssb\|wl"
# rmmod b43
# rmmod ssb
# rmmod wl
f) Also blacklisted the removed module b43 and ssb from future loading. [Did not work in next bootup, it loaded]boot u
# echo "blacklist ssb" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
# echo "blacklist b43" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
g) Insmod the driver, by initiating the security module lib80211
# modprobe lib80211
# insmod wl.ko    (Inside /lib/modules/"kernel version"/net/wireless folder)
We have to do (e) and (g), everytime when we restart the ubuntu, if we had shutdown the system earlier. 
I am checking how to load it during bootup of ubuntu.
Made changes to load at boot up.
a) First, after performing the above steps
b) depmod  (Inside /lib/modules/"kernel version"/net/wireless folder) So that no need to cd into this folder, to give insmod wl.ko, we can give this command from any where as insmod wl
c) Add lib80211 and wl to /etc/modules 
d) Then,
# cp /boot/initrd.img-`uname -r`  somewheresafe
# update-initramfs -u
e) Then reboot

Monday, November 22, 2010

Forward:Email:

real story...


A conversation between a Solider and Software Engineer in Shatabdhi Train .........An interesting and a must read!


Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdhi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought; he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!


He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.


"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.


"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized. "


"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.


"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."


Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naive ness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."


For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."


"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.


This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone. "


Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."


He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.


"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centers across the country.


Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"


The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination.


"You design and code such things."


"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."


"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over,


"So your life is easy now."


This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work.


Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality.


To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."


Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.


"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire".


The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.


"I know sir.... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......."

He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.


"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night.


The enemy was firing from the top.


There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom.


In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."


"You are a...?"


"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment.


But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.


On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker.


It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself.


He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time."


"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."


Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop.


It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.


The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.


"It was nice meeting you sir."


Vivek fumbled with the handshake.


This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.


It was the least he felt he could do for the country.


PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.


Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!
 

Info:Linux: Extracting RPM or DEB package

How to extract RPM or DEB packages

Monday, November 15, 2010

Knowledge sharing

Meaning of some Tamil  Word:

களிம்பு : புண்ணில் தடவப் பயன்படுத்தும் பசையாக இருக்கும் மருந்து.


கணவாய்: இரண்டு மலைகளுக்கு இடையே இயற்கையாக அமைந்துள்ள பாதை (mountain pass).


வடிவியல்: Geometry.


பகடி:(கடையை)வாடகைக்கு எடுத்தவரை வௌியேற்ற அவருக்குத் தரப்படும் கணிசமான தொகை, mockery


http://www.agaraadhi.com - Tamil Dictionary Search engine

LL:Forwards: Story of Appreciation

Story of Appreciation

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made
the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic
achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the
youth answered "none".

The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes
before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.



The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and
clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His
mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did
that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother
shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his
graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me
what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished
cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."

The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping
my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of
others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.  



A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.