New-buntu

Getting ready to upgrade my laptop-workhorse to Ubuntu 12.04LTS.... Hang on for the ride!

converting office2007 docs into open office

since i use open.office and, unfortunately, many of my students computers are now being delivered with ms.office.2007 -- on occasion, i find myself unable to open some of their documents.

luckily, you can obtain a copy of an odfconverter.
unluckily, it doesn't directly install in my mandriva.2008.1 build. so, thanks to a clever solution by open.office.ninja :

begin by making sure 'alien' is installed. it is included in mandriva.2008, but not installed by default. alien allows conversions among the rpm, dpkg, stampede slp, and slackware tgz file formats.
take the odfconverter.rpm file and make tgz file.

alien -ct odf-converter-1.1-7.i586.rpm

extract resulting file, odf-converter-1.1.tgz, via your favorite method.

then, use the 'su' command to become root and execute the following commands.
[notice that i have been working in my 'Download' subdirectory.]

[root@localhost Download]# cp usr/lib/ooo-2.0/program/OdfConverter /usr/bin
[root@localhost Download]# cp usr/lib/ooo-2.0/program/OdfConverter /usr/lib/openoffice/program/

to make openoffice use the odfconverter automatically
(per http://wvarner.blogspot.com/2008/02/microsoft-docx-files-on-ubuntu-gusty.html ) but with directory structures ever-so-slightly modified for mandriva 2008.1:

[root@localhost Download]# cp usr/lib/ooo-2.0/program/OdfConverter
/usr/lib/ooo-2.2/program/

[root@localhost Download]# cp usr/lib/ooo-2.0/share/registry/modules/org/openoffice/TypeDetection/Filter/MOOXFilter_cpp.xcu /usr/lib/ooo-2.2/share/registry/modules/org/openoffice/TypeDetection/Filter/

[root@localhost Download]# cp usr/lib/ooo-2.0/share/registry/modules/org/openoffice/TypeDetection/Types/MOOXTypeDetection.xcu /usr/lib/ooo-2.2/share/registry/modules/org/openoffice/TypeDetection/Types/

and.... we're off!!!

simple xrandr fix

somehow this escaped me... in your xorg.conf file, add the following entry to the [screen] section
.

• Option "RandRRotation" "true"

now, both xrandr and krandr work.
(some minor fixes to make the stylus track properly under rotated screen to follow)

duh.

[note added 2008/01/20: if you use the suggestion located here, which replaces the 'intel' with 'i810' driver in your xorg.conf file -- you WILL lose your wacom tablet... ]

linux, x60t and a non-working stylus

2 days ago, my stylus stopped working. no number of reboots, x-server restarts or 'setserial ... ' commands had any effect. a quick run of wacdump resulted in some interesting "high bit" and "lobit" errors in the lower right hand corner of the results screen.

i removed all the wacom software and reloaded from mandriva sources to no avail. i then built the wacom drivers from source with no joy. i dumped it all... reloaded the mandriva version of the wacom drivers..... and .... nothing but "high bit" errors from wacdump.

inspiration struck and i opened my local .xinitrc file -- and it included a set of commands that i did NOT enter, as follows (probably from wacomcpl):

xsetwacom set stylus TPCButton "on"
xsetwacom set stylus button3 "Button 3"
xsetwacom set stylus button2 "Button 2"
xsetwacom set stylus button1 "Button 1"
xsetwacom set stylus ClickForce "6"
xsetwacom set stylus PressCurve "0 0 100 100"
xsetwacom set eraser bottomy "18449"
xsetwacom set eraser bottomx "24622"
xsetwacom set eraser topy "73"
xsetwacom set eraser topx "45"
xsetwacom set stylus bottomy "18449"
xsetwacom set stylus bottomx "24622"
xsetwacom set stylus topy "73"
xsetwacom set stylus topx "45"
xsetwacom set eraser ClickForce "6"
xsetwacom set eraser PressCurve "0 0 100 100"
xsetwacom set eraser button1 "Button 1"

after deleting them and restarting x... everything was back to 'normal', i can even point and click with my fingertip!

it also may be my imagination -- but the stylus appears to be less 'jittery' in gimp. the eraser, however, still does not work (nor does the stylus button).

x60t and linux update

just a quick update; i've been using my lenovo x60 table with the 2008.1 build of mandriva for several months. in general, it is extremely usable as a laptop and, to a lesser degree, a tablet.

problems:
i cannot get the tablet to autorotate and, while krandr worked fine in mandriva 2007 -- it appears to be broken in 2008.1.
[added note: must be x server issue as xrandr crashes x. hmmmm...]
i also cannot get the x server to recognize the eraser or pen-click/switch.

curiouser and curiouser:
the stylus works -- even after suspend to either memory or disk. even more curiouser (sic), the touchscreen also works with my finger (though, better with my fingernail!). i suspect that the stylus is NOT working via the x server, but rather via 'touchscreen' -- i've got to do some poking around in this regard.

below is a hand-drawn picture from gimp (pen width 3 pts) using the stylus. you can see the jitter .. which i have been unable to change using the details from the linuxwacom faq.
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x60 tablet info

some have asked; so, here we go!

[root@localhost gfb1] $ lspci

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 02)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 02)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 02)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 4 (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) SATA AHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 02)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82573L Gigabit Ethernet Controller
03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (rev 02)
15:00.0 CardBus bridge: Ricoh Co Ltd RL5c476 II (rev b4)
15:00.1 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Ricoh Co Ltd R5C552 IEEE 1394 Controller (rev 09)
15:00.2 Generic system peripheral [0805]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter (rev 18)

the wacom tablet is "WACf008" [ /sys/bus/pnp/devices/00:0b/id ]
CPU is "Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo CPU L2400 @ 1.66GHz" [ /proc/cpuinfo ]

since the install of mandriva 2008.0, most things are working very well... with the exception of the periodic loss of the stylus following 'sleep'.
curiously, the "setserial ... " command does not refresh/reload the stylus.

the ongoing saga ... mandriva and lenovo x60 tablet

so... on the advice of some mandriva-gurus, and the promise of increased support for wacom tablets and laptop acpi in 2008.0 -- i downloaded Mandriva 2008.0, popped it into my usb dvd drive, and booted. i chose to install (NOT upgrade) mandriva 2007.1 (spring).

install went smoothly; but no recognition of the wacom tablet. so.. set up software distribution sources (making sure to load both official and distribution sources) -- then load the wacom tablet drivers and control panel.

following all the steps in previous posts on this blog took about 90 minutes (eliminating all the things that did not work...), and pretty much everything works out of the box!
(even an old pc-card iomega clik drive... boy, do i feel old... ).

well.. of course, the stylus wouldn't work for anything.

the problem?
turns out that mandriva.2008.0 inserts a:

Identifier "Mouse1"

statement into the "InputDevice" section of the xorg.conf file.
this is bad.

change it to:

Identifier "Configured Mouse"

and ... all joy!
(remember to also change the InputDevice line in the "ServerLayout" section)

calendar syncing

i've been enamored, of late, of GCALDaemon for syncing multiple calendars across evolution (on my lenovo x60t), ical (on my 12" g4 mac laptop), google and .mac -- whew. this was a bit of a pain, til i discovered GCALD...

in any case, i added a small wrinkle on my linux box. once you have successfully run the .sync_now script

write a small script in the /etc/cron.daily subdirectory, by:

# vi /etc/cron.daily/evo_google_sync

for the script -- type:

#!/bin/bash

/etc/sbin/GCALDaemon/bin/sync_now.sh

don't forget to chmod...

chmod 755 /etc/cron.daily/evo_google_sync

then... you have a script that will automatically sync your evolution calendar with your google calendar(s). i prefer this to the GCALD... notebook configuration, which polls the network every 10 min (or whatever you the setting of your file.polling.google property).

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lenovo x60 and linux: matrix

here's where things stand. a few issues remain, but, with impending knee surgery (another post for another time), i'm sure i'll have lots of time to make this work! (btw, spacing in this post is odd... matrix is down the page a bit).

category	item	working??
installation	external dvd	yes, but see this.
display	laptop screen	yes
	external monitor / projector	no
	screen rotation	yes, but not automatic
	stylus	kind of, no eraser or clicker
power management	hibernate	yes
	sleep	yes
audio	inc. buttons	yes
wireless	wifi	yes
	bluetooth	yes
extra keys	mute / volume	yes, here.
	tablet buttons	no
	f(n) keys	sleep, but nothing else (yet)
fingerprint scanner		yes
harddisk protection		yes
works from install	works with modification	not yet...

so far, so good... :) ...

lenovo x60 and linux: round 3b

on to the fingerprint reader...

these directions are solid:
How_to_enable_the_fingerprint_reader_with_ThinkFinger
these are better (or, at least, more general):
How_to_enable_the_fingerprint_reader

and here is the 'source'.

on to the 'key' issues...
according to the lenovo site;

install tpb

this worked like a champ for all 'blue' keys and volume .. nice onscreen msgs too!!
(although its pretty amusing that i have a bluekey for a keyboard light -- just no light...)

working on cisco vpn. the default vpn client (pkgd w/mandriva) does not work with the psu wireless network.
will try the cisco client packed for psu next.

lenovo x60 and linux: round 4

i was just reading a pdf file in tablet mode. i've been a bit annoyed that i haven't been able to map the alternate 'arrow' keys on the tablet face... and i had just set the pen down on the coffee table. since my knee is killing me (another story for another post)... i jabbed at the screen with my finger.

i was quite surprised to find that the pdf reader scrolled to the next page. a bit of experimentation, showed that the multitouch screen indeed worked. it was slow, clunky and unresponsive... i couldn't draw or write a note... BUT; i could tap buttons and scroll through a pdf.
very interesting.... since all the ubuntu forums suggest that the multitouch screen does not work at all...
more on this to come as i experiment...

i have also installed the GCalDaemon to synchronize my evolution calendar with my google calendar (e.g. here). it is a very simple process and works like a charm. i have also installed GCalD on my mac; and it also works very nicely. i am thereby able to take advantage of the google calendar AND use either my mac or linu.x60t for calendaring activities... curiously, since evolution also has an exchange plugin -- i am able to simultaneously manage a college/department calendar using my regular clients.
and i didn't think this would be a possibility!!!

curiouser and curiouser.

lenovo x60 and linux: round 3

this is helpful!

install xinput:
result: useless...

install xbindkeys...
result: also useless...

... there MUST be a better solution -- emperor.linux has a fully functioning version of any flavor of linux on the x60.tablet, which seems to include handwriting recognition. not yet worth the $300...

so.......still working.

(BTW... volume/mute buttons on keyboard work just fine. further, bluetooth works great, just install kde tool + bluez )

crash

having a few computers around the house, and a home network filled with ripped cd's (.ogg -- of course!) and family photo's -- somehow, i allowed my wife's mac to go without a backup for over 6 months. as you may have guessed, a cracked toilet tank and small flood 'fixed' the hard drive.

sad; but, here is a reminder of what we ALL should be doing -- right?
but, if you REALLY need to find some files (once the box has dried out)... i seriously recommend one of the live linux discs/usb -- which even work on mac hardware!
very nice.

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lenovo x60 and linux: round 2

definitely install mandriva. i've been using this flavor since mandrake 9.0; and just can't get used to ubuntu. further, it seems that several things seem to work flawlessly with mandriva (2007.1).
e.g., wireless, power, sound, sleep/suspend, dynamic cpu, etc.
i also don't hear any of the 'whining' or 'clunking' referred to by others.

install additional software via mandriva software manager:

• acpi tools
• setserial pkg
• configure-thinkpad pkg
• wacom pkg

install current stable release of wacom drivers
http://linuxwacom.sourceforge.net/index.php/dl
follow instructions... to install in prebuilt subdirectory,

edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf per http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Installing_Ubuntu_6.10_on_a_ThinkPad_X41_Tablet

edit rc.local per http://luke.no-ip.org/x60tablet/

don't forget to chmod 755 the x60t-swivel* files

add your userid to sudoers file
(this is REALLY important; and a little detail 'missing' from some of the other sites.)

rotate command works from the terminal, but keycodes seem to be incorrect in all those files:
get xev, since acpi_listen doesn't seem to work/compile in mandriva.
[xev does not identify the 'sound' keys or any key on the display..... ]

that works ok for keyboard; but not for other 'switches' on the tablet panel.

ok... try:
tail -f /var/log/messages
then.. press all nonfunctioning keys.
this gives you the rotate/tools/esc key on the panel (but no others).
add to /etc/rc.local file

still no joy... try:
su -c "/home/gfb1/Applications/getscancodes /dev/input/event0"
(sudo -- if you use ubuntu)

FINALLY; here's the problem.
the tablet and the keyboard are 2 different devices. BUT -- the keycodes overlap. so, i suppose i need to reassign different keycodes via "setkeycodes" in rc.local file.

more to come ...

lenovo x60 and linux

my brandy new lenovo.x60 tablet pc was delivered today. it is exactly the size i had in mind, rivaling my 12" powerbook for the 'most useful size' award.

needless to say, the darned thing came with a brand new version of the business edition of vista. so, i immediately had plans to upgrade to one of my favorite flavors of linux. the good news, i suppose, is that my research.aide convinced me that i should keep vista (since i paid for it... ) and should set up a dual-boot system. but, this raised several interesting questions.

1) how to repartition the hard drive?? on principle, i refused to pay for any new win.software. i was pleasantly surprised that vista allows you to 'shrink' the hard drive; but, returned to reality, when the disk management utility would only allow me to create a 30Gb partition (of 100Gb).

so... off to the Spring 2007.1 dvd of Mandriva. booting on an external usb dvd drive was painless (remember to hit 'f12'); but, the mandriva disk resizing program failed.

2) now to the Kubuntu 7.04 dvd. again, booting went just fine, and i repartitioned the hd to a 70Gb linux partition and a 30Gb vista partition. the installation was completed without a hitch..

upon rebooting; i was kindly greeted by a nice 'selection' screen asking to choose the operating system. curiously, there were 2 vista choices... the 1st option led me to the lenovo recovery system. the 2nd began by running chkdsk, and rebooted. vista started normally (if you call that normal... it is s...o...o...o s....l....o....w...!).

i have to admit thinking at this point... why am i keeping this system?

finally, i rebooted and chose to start kubuntu. it booted right up. most of the pc-stuff worked... but, as i began to load the new wacom driver, i started to wonder about mandriva again....

so.... back to the mandriva 2007.1 boot dvd. at this point, i decided to remove the ext3 and swap partitions created by kubuntu; then autoallocate a new set of partitions via the custom disk partitioning option in mandriva. i quite like having a separate /home partition, to make upgrades easier!

more to come...

evolution 2.6 on mac

i was recently asked how to set up this software on the mac -- so, here goes:

the 2.6 mac os.x (10.3.x or 10.4.y) build for evolution is available here. documentation for evolution is very complete and quite nice.

make sure you have a functioning x11 installation; meaning that you can get to xterm. then, just install the osx-evolution-2.6 build.

the tricky thing, of course, is to read the instructions. i realize that this is over-rated, but; you MUST initially launch evolution by using xterm. [cd] into the /opt/gnome-2.14/bin directory ... then using the command [sh ./launch_evolution]; you're on your way!

if you run into problems, more than likely you will need to:

• chown 777 launch_evolution
  
  
• to repair broken icons, place the command into the file .gtkrc-2.0 in your $HOME directory.
  
  gtk-icon-theme-name = "gnome"
  

• if you don't have such a file, create one,
• contrary to some posts, you do NOT need to install the hicolor theme.
  
  
• if you need to access a m$.exchange server:
• create a pop or imap mail account first
• THEN, activate the exchange plugin.
• quit/restart evolution (again, use xterm!)
• now, you can create an exchange account
  
  

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