Category: ubuntu

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Successful mozilla calendar build notes to self

.mozconfig

mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/../obj-@CONFIG_GUESS@
mk_add_options MOZ_CO_PROJECT=calendar # We want to checkout calendar
mk_add_options MOZ_CO_USE_MIRROR=1 # use cvs-mirror
mk_add_options MOZ_CO_LOCALES=de,pl # Can be used to also checkout a language
mk_add_options MOZ_MAKE_FLAGS=”-j1″ # Can be used if you have multiple processors

#mk_add_options JS_READLINE=1

ac_cv_visibility_pragma=no

ac_add_options –enable-application=calendar # We want to build calendar
ac_add_options –disable-tests # You should enable tests to make sure everything works before posting a patch
ac_add_options –enable-extensions=default,lightning,inspector,venkman # Some extensions in the /extensions directory
ac_add_options –disable-installer # Installer not needed for development
ac_add_options –enable-system-cairo # I needed this on linux

#ac_add_options –enable-ui-locale=et
#ac_add_options –with-macos-sdk=/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk # Needed on MAC
#ac_add_options –disable-airbag # I have had problems with airbag in the past
#ac_add_options –disable-crashreporter # (Optional) Disable if you don’t want it
#ac_add_options –enable-debugger-info-modules=yes # More debug info
#ac_add_options –enable-debug # (Optional) Lots of debugging. Maybe more than you actually want!

# The following options can be used to reduce/disable debugging.
# ac_add_options –enable-optimize
# ac_add_options –disable-static –enable-shared
# ac_add_options –disable-debug

mozilla/layout/build/Makefile.in change:

ifdef MOZ_ENABLE_GTK2
EXTRA_DSO_LDOPTS += $(MOZ_GTK2_LIBS)
-lX11 -lXrender
$(NULL)
endif

Commands:

cvs -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs-mirror.mozilla.org:/cvsroot co -r MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH mozilla/client.mk
cd mozilla
make -f client.mk checkout
LANG=C make -f client.mk build

It’s also good to check tinderboxes of locales!

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Green screen of weird (GSOW)

Windows users are somewhat scared about the BSOD. Haven’t experienced it ever so I wouldn’t know. But..
I finally switched from Gutsy to Hardy. The whole desktop effects part has been made a lot easier to setup. Only had to figure out how to have Compiz with the taskbar option “show windows from all desktops” disabled.
Also Hibernate is still picky enough that I had to tell both resume file and boot entry where to find swap, duh. But after doing that it works. Suspend is funny though, it greets with green screen flash on resume and one line of text that vanishes quickly enough that you can’t read. It doesn’t seem to cause any problems though, other that beauty ones :D.
Estonian ID-card with Firefox 2 didn’t want to notice that I have Java installed, had to edit some postinstall script, not too troublesome when Launchpad has detailed instructions for you.
Otherwise X60s and Hardy get along very well, haven’t noticed any other issues so far. This way I might test my luck with fingerprint reader and HDAPS again.

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My experience with Gutsy so far

At first (couple days before 7.10 release) I thought I’ll install Kubuntu Feisty instead of Ubuntu Edgy I had, so I burned myself a cd image and clicked install. But that was not a good idea. My laptop with 256MB of memory, 64MB of that used by graphics card wasn’t up to the task. It stopped responding at some point and left me with broken Grub and no Linux.
So I got myself Kubuntu Gutsy alternate. Install went just fine and I was hopeful. I got loading bar for operating system that progressed faster than Edgy did. And then… black screen. No login or anything. Restarting X, once, twice…, nothing. Using terminal, my wifi card recognised out of the box, good, now if only I could get X to load.
“dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg”. Choosing Vesa driver instead of VIA-s. Reboot. I have login screen, much better. After some using next reboot and no login again. Restarting X helps.
USB doesn’t work as was the case with Edgy. The magic word “irqpoll” goes into use. I have working USB, wifi and get no white lines at login screen. It just stays black for couple of seconds between initial loading and login screen.
After getting important things to work, thought I might try if I could use PortableApps on USB stick. Programs there are Windows version though I believe there’s cross-platform solution coming. But Thunderbird and Firefox both use profile folder so I tried modifying profiles.ini of both. Now I have Linux version of Thunderbird and Firefox using profile folder on USB stick. Hotmail extension for TB doen’t work at the moment and both html-validator and web developer extensions complained but everything else seems good. And despite problems some of the web developer functions I tried worked. Taking into account that both Mozilla programs probably run different version on Windows and Linux, it’s amazing how many things work.
So I’m quite satisfied with my configuration at the moment. Now if only I could have a new laptop :D.

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Obviously blond enough

I have two operating systems installed on my laptop for couple of weeks now. Windows XP Home being the one shipped with computer and Ubuntu as the other one.
I think I could say that Windows is still the main one I use. I have my mail in Thunderbird Portable and that is for Windows. That’s also where I do almost all of my documents. Title pages for physics practice lessons, tables and charts for same lessons, all come from MS Office. Sometimes I use 2000 version on my desktop computer, sometimes 2007 2-months trial on my laptop. I don’t feel quite comfortable yet with all the menus they changed, but it looks beautiful and opens slow just as you would expect. I also use CircuitMaker in Windows since I can’t quite stand this Dixi program we are supposed to use on Solaris to do our circuits. I think it’s from 97 and therefore quite ancient.
But I’ve wanted to try Linux for a while and with laptop I can be sure that if I mess anything up it won’t affect the main desktop computer that my mum also uses and that I have the recovery cd for Windows to count on.
I ended up with Ubuntu. I like the overall look, though it feels as if it takes longer to boot from Ubuntu than from Windows. Ethernet internet is working, wifi is not. I’m not sure if I have the patience to make it work. Instead of all those card games that Windows installs with Ubuntu has more games that make you use your brain. For example this game where you have to get four in a row, column or diagonally. I haven’t managed to win yet on 7×7 board just to tie once. At the moment I’m using Sound juicer to play an audio cd, as as far as I know Ubuntu can’t play mp3 automatically. My usb flash sticks also don’t work with Ubuntu and it seems to me that it might be a kernel bug, since I also found it in Launchpad system. One other peculiarity is that even though I have set it to hibernate when laptop’s lid is closed it won’t. But that is one of those not so important things. I guess I just have to get more familiar with the ways Linux works.
So you have been wondering why I’m so off-topic considering the post title? Well, while I was surfing Ubuntu forums this morning Ubuntu warned me about low battery so I plugged in the power adapter. I noticed that the battery icon in upper-right notice area remained the same but for some reason I didn’t think about it more and continued to browse. Soon the battery went completely out and I had to shut down. I was quite frustrated since I thought the adapter had broken and I really need my laptop next week. Until I noticed that the extension cord was turned off. Duh! Of course it wouldn’t charge the battery. As I turned it off last evening I should have remembered to turn it back on! So the good old truth: If you want it to work then turn it on :D.