Webs’ Random Ideas

Big news just developed earlier this week, as Linux is now ported to the iPhone and iPod Touch successfully. There is still a long way to go as seen in the video below, but this is going to lead to some very interesting developments. Not to mention it will be interesting to see how Apple deals with this since the next logical progression is to get Android on an iPhone.

I plan on following this developement and click the link above if you want to as well. If I get my hands on an iPod Touch or iPhone (not likely to happen soon) I will get involved as I can. I’m just not holding my breath on this one.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/2373142[/vimeo]

I just need to do quite a bit more work to get everything up and running. I figured out screen resolution, which took some tinkering… I also restored my PS3 settings. This means I am back to how I was before yesterday, except I also have Ubuntu installed.

I will write more once everything works I am flying high!

I figured out what I was doing wrong. When I was trying to install the bootloader I had the Ubuntu CD in the disc drive. So the boot loader by default was installing off the CD everytime. I started to suspect this as every piece of documentation made it seem like updating the bootloader is incredibly easy and I noticed the PS3 told me the install location was “disc” everytime.

So I finally got petitboot loaded. And now I can’t install Ubuntu. Note… get kboot installed first, then upgrade to petitboot.

Let’s see what happens this time!

Like Fellow Blogger Les, Ubuntu is Giving me Hell…

As previously reported I am attempting to install Ubuntu to Linux. Naturally I am running into some issues. The instructions I am following are pretty straight forward and found here. So I followed everything to a “T” and when I get to the point to actually install Ubuntu  (when you hit “Enter” at the “kboot” prompt) kboot loads the USB drivers, I get some error messages, all the USB devices shut down, and the system freezes. Not good.

Advice said to enter: “boot-game-os” to go back to the PS3 interface or partition. This did not work. Through some hunting I found I had to enter “ps3-boot-game-os”.

After much searching and troubleshooting I found this forum post. The guy made a comment informing the person with the problem to update kboot. I did this and still a no go. Same problem.

Next I tried petitboot instead of kboot. I found this via this link… This still is not working.

If I had to guess I would say the bootloader is not changing each time I attempt to change it. So I am going to try updating it again from my flash drive and see what happens.

So far I haven’t gotten very far. I had to re-install my main computer because I got viruses and crap. Then I had to move files from my USB hard drive to my main computer to reformat it. PS3′s can’t recognize NTFS so I need to reformat the USB HD with a FAT32 volume. Once I get Ubuntu installed I can do this type of work a lot faster on the PS3…

Anyways, so the next step is to backup my PS3 onto the USB HD and then create the partitions, the install Ubuntu, restore the backup, and see how nicely Ubuntu plays…

I will update when I have something juicy

It’s one heck of a tiny Linux computer with decent power for only using 8W.

The Specs:

It uses the Linutop Linux OS which is pretty decent. Not bad at all for only $300. I can’t wait till I have the money to spend on cool stuff like this. Then I can write about it while trying it out…

[UPDATE]

Forgot to add a piece about the BeagleBoard. It’s a pretty cool piece of technology that is essentially a fully functioning computer. All you need is a monitor, USB hub (for USB devices), and power. You can install Linux to flash memory on the board and be all set to go.

So what do you get for $149? A bunch:

• 600 MHz superscalar ARM Cortex A8 processor
• HD Video (720p) capable C64x DSP core
• 128MB Ram
• 256MB Flash
• I²C, I²S, SPI, MMC/SD (via expansion connector)
• DVI-D
• JTAG
• S-Video
• SD/MMC+
• Stereo Out
• Stereo In
• USB 2.0 HS OTG
• RS-232 Serial

Found via DOF in an email…

I could of written one, but that would be reinventing the wheel. Instead read this Ars Technica review of Ubuntu 8.04.

The review is very well done and convers some areas of Ubuntu I didn’t know existed. One complaint I have with the article is it seems to be written from the standpoint of, “If your Linux Distribution is not perfect I’m going to harp on you, and shame on you for not being perfect.” Maybe I read too much into it but I thought the end was a little annoying with this:

A strong 8.10 release with fewer problems out of the box would help put Ubuntu back on track.

I have yet to encounter any distribution of the big players (Windows, MAC, and Linux) that is without major flaws out of the box. There is so much work that goes into a distribution it’s incredibly difficult to catch everything. So the statement above just seems to me to be a pointless gripe about a piece of software.

The thing that’s great about Open Source Projects is the community of users. If there are major problems users can leave feedback and developers can fix the problem. If developers cannot fix the issues quickly, then anyone can step up and fix the problem since the software is Open Source. It’s a very efficient model and is helping to push Linux into wider acceptance.

Other than my one complaint the article is a pretty excellent review of Ubuntu 8.04. Go check it out.

This is really more of an update to my project of creating an Internet Kiosk Management Server.

The gist of the project is this: Currently we have a boot CD Linux distribution for Internet Kiosks, or walk up Internet/Email stations at work. What this means is that I have a Boot CD with a fully contained Operating System that runs off the CD. So no hard drive or floppy is needed. The system boots directly into Mozilla Firefox with no other applications or options available to the user.

Sounds wonderful right? Well yes, but I have been running into issues with this current system, called Boothbox. As mentioned in my previous posts on this topic, I have run into issues getting Boothbox to run on Dell Hardware. The problem is Boothbox is based on a really old kernel. And updating the kernel in Boothbox just wasn’t working out for me at all.

So a new system is in store.

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… I got your technology controlled, automated household right here! No seriously I do. People say they are still waiting for it, but with a some Linux skills or if you can befriend a geek, automation of daily house chores can be done.

This is some really friggin cool stuff. First we have a cat that posts videos and twitters every time it eats:

First, a proper “cat studio” is required. I picked up a laundry basket, some thin anti-slip mat and a couple of new food bowls for under $15 total. The laundry basked got a side removed by my trusty Dremel tool, and the anti-slip mat was cut to fit and hot-glued in place. After that was done, I had a spare light fixture with a clamp lying around to add to the mix for better lighting.

Motion is a great webcam application that fits my needs exactly. More specifically, when it detects motion, it records a video – think like a security camera, but way, way smarter. When Motion no longer senses any movement after a defined period of time, it encodes the captured video, and then it can run a script or set of commands afterwards. Bingo!

Wow, that actually sounds pretty do-able. I know you may be asking yourself, “What the hell good is that?” Well, think outside the box.

Imagine having a pet and going a vacation for a week to anywhere. Now you no longer have to worry about if your cat has enough food. Open any device with a network connection and has capabilities to display video. Bam! Now you know if you should tell your neighbor to grab the hidden key and add some more food or water.

Want to create a security camera system on the cheap with some amazing capabilities? Want to monitor a child and only be alerted when the child is restless, moves, or wakes up? Or are you just curious about what your pet might be up to while you’re away?

Okay, but what about other chores?

Well we have a link here where a blogger shows he can set up a system where plants notify the owner when they need more water.

The future is coming pretty fast. I would expect to see commercial one stop automation products to come out in the next year or two. And new homes will likely start having some of these features built in. When I build my own house down the road, these are items I’m going to be planning for.

I always do the same thing before installing an OS, no matter which OS it is. I grab my handy Ubuntu 7.10 disk, boot up, and partition the drive. I don’t really install it as my favorite OS is Xubuntu, but the partition editor is really easy to use.

It’s important to note this can be done without touching a pre-existing OS install. Follow the directions below and you can be all set for a dual boot. Here is what I do when I need to partition drives:

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