Copyright 1998-2010 Tweakers.net Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:30:06 GMT Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:30:06 GMT http://tweakers.net/reviews/76 Tweakblogs.net is the weblog service provided by Tweakers.net, the largest hardwaresite and techcommunity in the Netherlands. http://tweakblogs.net/ http://tweakimg.net/g/if/logo.gif 60 60 Tweakblogs.net en http://ghost.tweakblogs.net frontpage@tweakers.net http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/3073/subversion-repository-monitor.html At my work, we use a subversion repository to (not surprisingly) store our code. I found out that my colleague used a tool called CommitMonitor to get a notification whenever a commit is made to the repository. Inspired by this tool, I whipped up my own repository monitor for Linux using python. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/3073/subversion-repository-monitor.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/3073 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:14:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/2287/why-people-are-allowed-to-stick-with-windows.html Today I came across an article that addresses several misunderstandings people can have about Linux. Although I do not agree with every single point stated in the article, it does conclude with a notion that reflects my opinion about the whole operating system debate. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/2287/why-people-are-allowed-to-stick-with-windows.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/2287 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:34:51 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/2189/hour-registration-using-imagemagick.html For my work I have to provide weekly work slips stating the exact hours I have worked in order to get paid. For this, I am required to use an existing template in pdf format which I have to print, fill in, sign and mail, fax or e-mail back to HQ. At the office, my supervisor has to check and sign the document before forwarding it to the payroll company by fax. I can imagine that at the payroll company the form is yet again converted to dead tree format, before being copied into their own system by an accountant. Apart from the unnecessary paper and ink that goes to waste every month, I found the whole process I had to go through every week a bit too time consuming. I have to retrieve and print the pdf form, find a pen to write with, fill in the form, sign it, scan it back in (and scale back the image so it won't be a whopping 3MB jpeg), and mail it to my supervisor. After three times going through this whole process, I had enough and wrote a Python script that would assemble a complete form for me using ImageMagick. Read more » Ghost 3 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/2189/hour-registration-using-imagemagick.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/2189 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:21:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1761/driven-by-unit-testing.html For a while now I am toying with the Test Driven Development-methodology. I have to admit I kinda like the idea and found it fun to work that way. Last weekend, I decided to look up more information and books about the subject. To my surprise I found TDD to be a widely discussed and controversial subject. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1761/driven-by-unit-testing.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1761 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:27:46 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1330/simple-ipaq-familiar-file-transfers.html As a developer, you sometimes get slapped with a solution to a nagging problem, only to be left wondering how you ever could have missed such an obvious clue. I had an epiphany like that recently while I was using my pda. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1330/simple-ipaq-familiar-file-transfers.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1330 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:17:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1307/eetlijst-punt-nl-vanaf-de-cli.html In ons studentenhuis gebruiken we de website eetlijst.nl om de administratie rondom het eten bij te houden. Op een dood moment besloot ik mijn python-vaardigheden wat op te vijzelen en heb een script gebouwd om vanaf de cli dit overzicht op te vragen. Lees verder » Ghost 3 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1307/eetlijst-punt-nl-vanaf-de-cli.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1307 Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:56:20 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1161/oh-lovely-a-rrod-(update).html This is just great. Yesterday, in a weekend I need the thing the most, my Xbox 360 decided to show the Red Ring of Death. I do not know how Microsoft's Customer Support has evolved since last year, but I have found reports posted in summer 2007 of Xboxes being in repair for several weeks. So, apart from not having my favourite distraction for this weekend, I risk missing out on Fallout 3's launch day. I guess that the only thing I can do is call Customer Support and get myself a box or sticker or whatever is needed to ship my game console back for repair. Well... at least it is free. A few months later and I would have had to pay for a brand new one. Update: Hurray, the device is back. In fact, it has been back for almost a week now. And guess what? I got it right on Fallout 3's launch date . In total, the console was away for about ten days (give or take), and all expenses were paid by Microsoft. I even got a Xbox Live Gold membership for a month. Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1161/oh-lovely-a-rrod-(update).html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1161 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:25:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1143/quick-and-dirty-wallpaper-concatenation.html It took me a while, but I finally bit the bullet and bought myself a larger, 22-inch screen. Although my brother still beats me in screen estate, I feel confident I can settle for an additional 22" for the next four or five years. I want to use both my monitors together and to do that, I have used Nvidia's TwinView setting. This setting merges the screen estate of both monitors into one large virtual desktop with a resolution of 2960x1050. This is a problem for some wallpapers, though, especially the ones that are designed for one specific resolution. The best way to use these is by combining them in one large image using an image manipulation tool. Of course I could use the GIMP for such an occasion, but it is way too much work aligning both wallpapers by hand. And why should I when tools like ImageMagick are at my disposal? montage wallpaper_1280.jpg wallpaper_1680.jpg \ -tile 2x1 -geometry "1680x1050+0+0" \ -mode concatenate wallpaper.jpg Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1143/quick-and-dirty-wallpaper-concatenation.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/1143 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:42:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/949/fallout-3-trailer-pondering.html During my biweekly stroll through the new trailers present on gaming website Gametrailers, I noticed that Bethesda Softworks had released a play-through of two of the first quests an exploring Vault dweller encounters in Fallout 3. I decided to test my reservations about this new title and loaded the clips. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/949/fallout-3-trailer-pondering.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/949 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:40:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/919/per-contact-custom-sms-sounds-in-symbian.html A little over two months ago, I thought it was time to enter the era of the smartphones. After careful consideration I eventually decided to get myself a Nokia N95, which has not let me down since... as long as it was charged. The pim functionality is adequate, gps works as long as you manage to get a lock and it plays my music and podcasts perfectly. It even came with a snazzy headset - yeah, I know, I have low standards in that regard. However, there was one thing bothering me: although Symbian, the OS running on my phone, is perfectly capable to select different ringtones per contact, it cannot do the same for incoming sms messages. For me, reading sms messages in general has quite a low priority and when busy, I am often not inclined make a run for my mobile whenever I hear an incoming message. I am, though, very interested in sms messages from certain contacts (for example from my girlfriend or my parents). It would be excellent if I could distinguish these high priority messages from the general, less pressing ones. Time to go to the proverbial drawing board. Read more » Ghost 3 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/919/per-contact-custom-sms-sounds-in-symbian.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/919 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:59:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/918/kickstarting-the-pys60-bluetooth-console-on-ubuntu.html Recently, I discovered that there was a Python scripting engine for the Symbian OS, called PyS60. Given my interest in the programming language, I gave it a try. Using the instructions on the Nokia wiki, I had an installation up and running within the general lifespan of a cup of tea. There was only one feature giving me trouble: the bluetooth interactive console. Getting that to work under Ubuntu proved to be hard to figure out, but in the end easy to solve. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/918/kickstarting-the-pys60-bluetooth-console-on-ubuntu.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/918 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:59:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/916/scripting-a-ssh-tunnel.html Sometimes I wonder why I put up with some inconveniences in my work flow. One particular issue I have for a long time is working with ssh-tunnels. It always goes like this: I start a ssh tunnel or other proxy, run a program that uses this proxy and use it until I am done with it, and finally close the proxy afterwards. For a long time I was doing this manually using a terminal, until I finally got fed up with the tedious routine and wrote this simple bash script: code:1 2 3 4 #!/bin/sh /usr/bin/ssh -N -D 3124 username@localhost & # Enter your program here kill $! Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/916/scripting-a-ssh-tunnel.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/916 Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:42:48 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/862/fighting-for-privacy.html Last week I had the pleasure of discussing my viewpoints about privacy with one of my house mates. One particular remark of her remained stuck in the back of my head, leaving me wondering about the validity and consequences of it: 'We will lose eventually, and there is nothing we can do about it. So why should we even resist?'. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/862/fighting-for-privacy.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/862 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:14:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/779/rabbits-revenge.html Last month (30th of May, to be precise), the Blender Peach Project published its movie online. Ten days before that enthusiasts could already order the dvd of this second Open Movie, but odds are that most of the community was probably rooting for the online event. I saw the movie yesterday and, since it was apparently missed by the t.net news queue, I thought I should give it some love. And believe me, the movie deserves it. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/779/rabbits-revenge.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/779 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:04:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/764/cleaning-up-version-controlled-directories.html When writing LaTeX documents, you often end up with all kinds of redundant files. These files are generated during the compilation of a dvi or a pdf document and can generally be discarded afterwards. Most of my tex documents are under version control and, consequently, it is possible to get a list of the files that are (and are not) under this control. Using a single Bash command, you can abuse subversion to determine which files you want to delete: rm -i `svn status | awk '/^\?/ {print $2}'` Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/764/cleaning-up-version-controlled-directories.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/764 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:26:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/739/saxion-en-caa-losmakelijk-verbonden.html Zoals ik al eerder schreef, was boterde het niet lekker tussen het door CAA-beveiligde netwerk van het Saxion en Linux-gebruikers. Servers die toegankelijk waren via het Internet werden afgeschermd voor het interne netwerk en Linux-gebruikers werden min of meer gedwongen om door allerlei hoepels te springen om hun werk normaal te doen. Sinds kort niet meer: de weg naar de schoolwebsites, de Subversion-server en de Linux-systemen is twee dagen geleden vrijgemaakt voor Saxion-gebruikers zonder CAA . Lees verder » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/739/saxion-en-caa-losmakelijk-verbonden.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/739 Fri, 23 May 2008 19:41:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/720/requirement-list-in-latex.html This is just a small trick I have used in my last LaTeX-document to make separate list-environments keep incrementing, depending on the numbers of the previous list-environment. I think it is a bit hard to explain, so I will try to do by explaining the reason I needed this feature. Read more » Ghost 3 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/720/requirement-list-in-latex.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/720 Sun, 18 May 2008 07:57:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/710/fun-with-synaptics.html If you have ever worked with a laptop, you are bound to have played with it's touchpad. It is often configured to generate scroll events when placing a finger along the right and bottom side of the touchpad, as well as single click events when tapping on the touchpad with your finger. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg with things you can convince your driver to do. Read more » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/710/fun-with-synaptics.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/710 Tue, 13 May 2008 17:02:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/689/airplane-blues.html Right, the day has inevitably arrived. This morning I kissed my girl goodbye as she took a flight from Schiphol airport to Australia for a long, well deserved holiday. All in all very exciting, of course, however the thought of spending my weekends without her is not welcoming. Sure, I got more time on my hands, but having your girlfriend in a foreign country for four months is a bitter pill to swallow. I think we will both manage and she will probably have a blast with the kangaroos and the like, but the first few days could get pretty lonely. Still, I could not let the opportunity pass to buy the new GTA game. After the departure, I stopped by one of the entertainment stores and obtained a copy. I thought it would be hard to get one, given the popularity of the game, but to my surprise the store had at least a dozen copies. Long story short, I coughed up the sixty euros for the game and now I am one of the proud owners of Rockstars gem... at least, I think it is a gem. I think I will write a small review after I have played it. It will probably be a lonely night without my girl, but at least I have a new video game to keep me company. ... Good grief, I am such a nerd... Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/689/airplane-blues.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/689 Thu, 01 May 2008 16:38:00 GMT http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/669/op-de-spreekwoordelijke-mat.html Het schijnt dat mijn blogpost over CAA toch meer stof heeft doen opwaaien dan oorspronkelijk verwacht. Afgelopen vrijdag kreeg ik een belletje van het Management van Saxion waarin ze vroegen of ik vanochtend even langs zou willen komen. Lees verder » Ghost 2 http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/669/op-de-spreekwoordelijke-mat.html#reacties http://ghost.tweakblogs.net/blog/669 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:50:13 GMT