RW Updates Gets a Dust-Off
Here is a site that’s been in need of attention for a little while now, and being as we are between themes right now I thought what better time to give [RW Updates][a_091208163321] some love. RW Updates (now called RapidWeaver Updates) was started a few years ago to offer those wishing to track all the latest RapidWeaver developer goodness in one main point. It’s served that purpose well.
The most notable change is the width. I’ve all but given up on narrow sites — I’m over the skinny… and the scroll. The second most notable change is the boxes. Each new article shows up in a box — small, compact, easy to get through in a hurry.
Ok, I lied… the MOST notable change is that the site is just plain sexy now! [Don't you think][a_091208163321]?
[tags]rapidweaver,updates,rwupdates,developer,news[/tags]
[a_091208163321]: http://rwupdates.com/ “RapidWeaver Updates daily RapidWeaver news”
RapidWeaver Add-ons Version Identifier
One thing RapidWeaver does poorly — at this current moment — is help the end user determine the product version they are using on any given 3rd party add-on. Knowing your add-ons (theme or plugin) version number is critical when asking for support and is often one of the first things the developer will ask you for.
If you know where the add-ons are kept (`~/Library/Application Support/RapidWeaver/`) then you might be able to determine a plugin or themes version number with the Finder, or if you have RapidWeaver open you can find out a plugin’s version by opening the plugin browser, or if you show a themes package contents and…
Well, I like to have these sorts of things at my fingertips and do as little thinking as possible, so I wrote an AppleScript to gather this information for me no matter where I am or what I am doing[*][a_091103113228]:
– file types to choose from
set rwTypeArray to {“Theme”, “Plugin”}
– choose from those file types
set rwTypeLong to {choose from list rwTypeArray ¬
with prompt ”Which RapidWeaver product type ¬
you like to find the version of?” ¬
with title “Theme or Plugin”} as string
– logic from result
if rwTypeLong is “Theme” then
set rwType to “rwtheme”
else
set rwType to “rwplugin”
end if
– get name of hard drive
tell application “System Events”
set diskName to (get name of startup disk) as string
end tell
– get name of user
set userName to (do shell script “whoami”) as string
– select file from RW directory
tell application “Finder”
set rwFile to (choose file with prompt ¬
“Please select your RapidWeaver ” & rwTypeLong & “:” ¬
default location (diskName & “:Users:” & userName & ¬
“:Library:Application Support:RapidWeaver” as alias) ¬
of type rwType without invisibles)
– read version number
tell application “System Events”
set rwInfo to (get version of the file (rwFile as string))
end tell
– and display it
if rwInfo = “” then
display dialog ¬
“It seems that your ” & rwTypeLong & ¬
” doesn’t have a version number that I can read. ¬
Sorry.\n\n¬
Would you like me to reveal it’s ¬
package contents for you?” ¬
buttons {“Cancel”, “Yes”} default button (2)
set rwPath to rwFile & “Contents” as text
open rwPath
else
display dialog “The version information:\n\n” & rwInfo & ¬
“\n\n …has been copied to your clipboard.” ¬
buttons {“OK”} default button (1)
– copy to clipboard
set the clipboard to rwInfo
end if
end tell
### Notes ###
* If a theme is to have it’s version number read, it must have an Info.plist in it’s package contents. Some theme developers do not include this file. For those that don’t, the script will reveal the theme’s package contents so that you can inspect the version number at the bottom of the Theme.plist file
### Download ###
Get your fresh copy of [RapidWeaver\_Addons\_version.scpt][a_091103112457] from CodeCollector.net
[a_091103112457]: http://www.codecollector.net/view/BB433BE1-0BD0-43C6-AE7A-CFEE8E623AB8 “RapidWeaver_Addons_Version.scpt”
[a_091103113228]: http://seydoggy.com/2009/11/03/rapidweaver-add-ons-version-identifier/#a_091103113228
iMac G3 Web Server – Part 1
Recently an old iMac G3 of mine made it back home after a lengthy stint at the in-laws (introducing them to computers a few years back). My initial thoughts were to take her to the great recycling depot in the sky, but then I got to thinking. “What could a web designer/developer use a seriously underpowered G3 chip be useful for?”
And you all chant in unison… a web server!
So this is just a document of the stuff I went through to get from point **a** to point **b**. It’s not so much instructional, but if you wish to follow along, by all means, have at it.
## Serve with Mac OS X… maybe not. ##
So I got to fiddling around with this old bubble of a machine and thought initially that I would just try to use the services provided in the Mac OS (the iMac was running 10.4 at the time). This proved to be so painfully slow that I decided to dig up an old copy of OS X 10.2 (it was called Jaguar back then, in case you forgot) and install it. While this was a tad faster, those services that *were* installed were sorely out of date.
Since it was clear that I was going to have to get into the command line to install MySQL and update and configure the PHP that was there, and since the the whole desktop environment was going to be redundant by the time this thing goes into service… why use the Mac OS at all?
## When in Freeville, do as [Linus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds “Linus Torvalds – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”) does ##
That’s when I decided that [Ubuntu Server](http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatIsubuntu/serveredition “Ubuntu Server Edition | Ubuntu”) was the way to go. There are a ton of worthy Linux distro’s out there but I decided to go with Ubuntu because their PowerPC ports are pretty much up to date with with the core development. I could have used Debian but trying to track down the latest stable PowerPC build was like trying to finding a hot date at a Star Trek convention.
I just so happened to have an Ubuntu Server 8.1 iso laying around, so just as a proof of concept, before tying up anymore of Ubuntu’s precious bandwidth, I tried the install out to be sure that all would work on the old PPC box. And it did.
## Fast forward to the Jaunty Jackalope ##
So I got my hands on the latest stable build of Ubuntu Server for PowerPC, [Ubuntu 9.04](http://www.ubuntu.com/ “Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu”) (which can be [downloaded here](http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/9.04/release/ “Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope)”)) and got to work.
The install was pretty straight forward, I just followed the steps as each prompt appeared. All in all it took about an hour on the old beast. One helpful hint: it seems the install will fail repeatedly if you don’t have the machine connected to the internet. I just ended up plugging in to the spare ethernet port of my Mac Pro, but I am assuming any connection would do.
## I have a package for you ##
I wasn’t really sure what packages I was going to need in the end, so I installed most, if not all of them. But at the very least I knew I was going to need a LAMP stack *, ssh and possibly DNS (though unlikely that I would bother to set it up). If you plan to make your own server you might as well take the time to research the options since installing and configuring them at install will save you the hassle later.
## Bong! ##
Once the install was done I was prompted to reboot. So I did. If your a total nerd like me you’ll get excited to hear that familiar Mac “Bong!” yet moments later get nothing but a black screen, white text and a login prompt… I can almost hear echos of [Joshua (WOPR)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOPR “WOPR – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”) in his computerized voice asking me, “Would you like to play a game?”
With everything done right in the install I was prompted with**:
`ubuntu login: `
I entered my username, in my case “adam”, and hit return:
`ubuntu login: adam`
Entered my password, •••••••••••, and hit return:
`password: `
Up pops a bunch of info like last login, software details, load and memory usage etc… and the all important command prompt:
`adam@ubuntu:~$ `
## The _root_ of the solution ##
Here is where I am about to do a no-no… if I ever planned to run this machine in the DMZ (beyond the safety of my internal network and out side my router) I would NEVER do this. However, I want to have pure, unadulterated, God-like power over this machine and I do not want to sudo (“superuser do”) it every step of the way.
Those of you familiar with Ubuntu know that they disable root login by default. But this cripples what various apps can do in various directories over ssh — namely ExpanDrive, MacFusion, various FTP clients and from what I can tell some TextMate bundles (though I probably have them configured wrong) — and I don’t want to always have my head stuck in the terminal.
So, to enable root login I had to set a root password (since the install never prompted me for a root password). This is done with:
`adam@ubuntu:~$ sudo passwd root`
I then entered my own password for adam@ubuntu, •••••••••••:
`[sudo] password for adam: `
And the the new root password twice:
`Enter new UNIX password: `
`Retype new UNIX password: `
And success:
`passwd: password updated successfully`
Now I am able to switch to root:
`adam@ubuntu:~$ sudo su root`
And after entering the password I just created I am now presented with:
`root@ubuntu:~# `
Now with that out of the way I can proceed with causing some real damage…
## More to come ##
In following posts I will talk about my ssh setup, configuring apache and working with my in my new server environment.
## Notes: ##
- * LAMP stands for Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP/Perl/Python and is a generic acronym for a stack of applications that provide the kind of web services need to run web applications and dynamic web content.
- ** I set my server name up to the default “ubuntu”. Yours may read different.
[tags]server,linux,ubuntu,imac,g3,terminal,root[/tags]
One of My Old Favorites All Fresh and New
The postman just delivered my fresh copy of Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MYSQL, 4th Edition. It’s not that there was anything wrong with my previous copy, but it was getting a little dated. Plus I am a little nostalgic for this particular publication.
With a quick glance I can already see that the book has been restructured quite a bit moving chapters around. I am really looking forward to reading this book again with renewed purpose and updated perspectives.
[tags]php, sitepoint, mysql,book[/tags]
You in there Mr. Camera Guy?
"You in there Mr. Camera Guy?", originally uploaded by seyDoggy.
Back in May, a neighborhood squirrel I were having a bit of a territorial battle. He wanted to sleep on my fence and I figured that made him fair game for photography. He thought otherwise and on a number of occasions made it clear that he was not in this for the fame and glory. He had a strict no-paparazzi policy and he wasn’t about to let me be the exception.
He came back a few times to bark and squawk at me just to drill the point into my little human brain.
[tags]flickr, squirrel, nature[/tags]
the collective is now more collected
You know how sometimes you look at your web real estate and you wonder, “How the ***farg*** did I get so many sites and so many blogs?”
I’ve been going through a zen stage, cleaning out the crap, consolidating, streamlining… I did this back a month or so ago with [seyDoggy.com](http://www.seydoggy.com/ “seyDoggy Web and Graphic Design – seyDoggy weblog – my thoughts on the web and the mac”) ([nutMac meets seyDoggy](http://www.seydoggy.com/2009/02/06/nutmac-meets-seydoggy/ “seyDoggy Web and Graphic Design – seyDoggy weblog – my thoughts on the web and the mac”)) where I consolidated the nutMac.com (Mac/productivity) blog with my seyDoggy (web design/theme developemnt) blog. I also sucked up the [RWUpdates.com](http://rwupdates.com/ “RW Updates daily RapidWeaver news”) blog for those that were watching.
Well that’s what I have done with some of the less technical, less business related web properties I have, like my [tumblr account](http://seydoggy.tumblr.com/ “tumblDoggy”), a [kids poetry site](http://www.wigglywumble.com/ “Wiggly Wumble”) I had up and this blog, which was originally on [the singular](http://adammerrifield.info/about/ “Adam Merrifield { the singular – it’s just about me}”) page. This is partly to simplify my web existence, but also because there are still a host of things I want to write about (like recipes) and needed a generic enough place to put them down.
I am sort of babbling on as though someone is reading this so I’ll just cut her short here. Peace!
Life As a Theme Developer
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a professional RapidWeaver theme developer is like? Wonder no more because I am about to tell you.
**02-18-09 07:22** – started writing this which will end up being a blog post on seyDoggy.com
**02-18-09 07:23** – opening up [Mailplane.app](http://mailplaneapp.com/ “Mailplane brings Gmail to your Mac desktop”) to have a gander at what support has crawled in overnight.
**02-18-09 07:28** – popping in the the Realmac Software forum to respond to a thread I was notified about… nothing for me to add.
**02-18-09 07:40** – helped potting training daughter go to the potty.
**02-18-09 07:52** – responded to an email from the [seyDesign Member Group](http://www.seydesign.com/support/membership/ “membership | support | seyDesign Professional RapidWeaver themes”).
**02-18-09 07:53** – reacted to a [Twitter](http://twitter.com/ “Twitter: What are you doing?”) follow request… followed.
**02-18-09 07:56** – Twittering.
**02-18-09 08:02** – responding to another Realmac Software forum thread.
**02-18-09 08:04** – sifting through a bunch of press releases that I subscribe to.
**02-18-09 08:18** – responded to a comment on seyDoggy.com blog.
**02-18-09 08:19** – moving over to the support email account now. Checking the spam box since Google seems to deem all of my real support requests as Spam.
**02-18-09 08:21** – yup, 7 messages caught in the spam box.
**02-18-09 08:22** – opening up [Parallels](http://www.parallels.com/ “Mac Virtual Machines and Virtual PC. Automation and Virtualization Software for Desktops, Servers, Hosting, SaaS – Parallels”) to confirm one users report of an IE bug with one of my themes.
**02-18-09 08:24** – realizing that their complaint has more to do with screen size than anything else. It’s not a bug, me thinks. Keep testing.
**02-18-09 08:28** – just got a wrong number on the support line. “seyDoggy who? I’m trying to call my sister.”
**02-18-09 08:38** – yup, IE6 issue was just the end users window size. I like that kind of support.
**02-18-09 08:50** – support taking longer then I hoped. Need some tunes.
**02-18-09 08:59** – support is done.
**02-18-09 09:00** – opening my calendar (a [Fluid.app SSB](http://fluidapp.com/ “Fluid – Free Site Specific Browser for Mac OS X Leopard”) of Google Calendar) to see what’s on the plate. My calendar is my mental mapping tool.
**02-18-09 09:19** – more forum posting.
**02-18-09 09:20** – back to calendar, deciding how long it’s been since I invoiced this one client before deciding to do more work for them. Have to be extra cautious in todays economy, not to get into too deep with any one client.
**02-18-09 09:21** – going to do some site updates (in [TextMate](http://macromates.com/ “TextMate — The Missing Editor for Mac OS X”)) for said client.
**02-18-09 10:27** – just answered someones questions about [M Cubed Softwares](http://www.mcubedsw.com/ “M Cubed Software – Yummy software for the Mac”) [Code Collector Pro](http://www.mcubedsw.com/software/codecollectorpro “M Cubed Software – Code Collector Pro”).
**02-18-09 10:48** – syncing client changes via [Panics Transmit](http://www.panic.com/transmit/ “Panic – Transmit 3 – The next-generation Mac OS X FTP client!”).
**02-18-09 10:57** – hmm… forgot to update the sitemap… and all the french `