Nimal's Weblog

June 17th: Download Day! Download Firefox 3!

Posted on June 16, 2008 by Nimal

For all my non-Firefox readers, and to my dear friends on Firefox,
Firefox 3 is due for release tomorrow (June 17th), and we are attempting to set a Guinness World Record for most copies of a bit of software downloaded in 24 hours. So far, at least 1.3 million people from around the globe have pledged to download. With Firefox 2′s 1.6 million downloads on its launch day, we can be very sure this time its going to be even more for sure.

Sounds like a good deal, right? All you have to do is get Firefox 3 during Download Day to help set the record for most software downloads in 24 hours – itâ€™s that easy. Theyâ€™re not asking you to swallow a sword or to balance 30 spoons on your face, although that would be kind of awesome. Youâ€™ll get a customized certificate by downloading from Headquarters!

Update: Download Day starts on June 17th at 10 a.m. PDT. Check this out for local times: http://tinyurl.com/4e7fv5

With more than 14,000 improvements, Firefox 3 is faster, safer and smarter than before. Firefox 3 sets the innovation bar very high with exciting new features, including one-click bookmarking, the smart location bar and lightning fast performance. Firefox 3 includes phishing and malware protection, plus new instant site ID info. With features like built-in spell checking, session restore and full zoom, Firefox 3 makes it possible to work faster and more efficiently on the Web. Your taste and needs set you apart from the rest. With Firefox 3 you can choose from over 5,000 add-ons that help you customize your browsing experience.

If you’re already a fan of Firefox, this is the chance to be a part of a world record, even if you are not this is your chance to switch to the best!!!

Join FireFox in their mission to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours!

Google Favicon Changed

Posted on May 31, 2008 by Nimal

Google has a new favicon now. I saw the new favicon for the first time when I was logging into Gmail this morning, and I thought there was something wrong with my browser’s cache or something else. Then a quick search reviled that this is in fact the new favicon of Google.

I think the other “G” favicon was much better, and easily recognizable as the “G” in Google.

But some say,

it makes a lot of sense: the small g is a symbol for infinity. A googol (10100) is just a poor approximation for the huge amount of information that needs to be indexed, organized and made useful by Google.

Changes….!

Reminder to have ICE number on your Mobile

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Nimal

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) request.

The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as 'ICE.'

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 , ICE3 or ICE Residence, ICE Office or ICE Papa or ICR Mr… etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE, storing an ICE number in our mobile phones. If you have not done that yet please do it NOW! It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.

ICE will speak for you when you are not able to…!!!

Additional reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_case_of_emergency

Posted in Off Topic | 2 Comments

Bloggers Unite: Sri Lanka: “Disappearances”

Posted on May 15, 2008 by Nimal

The Sri Lankan government is responsible for widespread abductions and “disappearances” that are a national crisis, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Human Rights Watch urged the government to reveal the whereabouts of the “disappeared,” immediately end the practice, and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Since major fighting between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) resumed in 2006, Sri Lankan security forces and pro-government armed groups have “disappeared” or abducted hundreds of individuals, many of whom are feared dead.

The 241-page report, “Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for ‘Disappearances’ and Abductions in Sri Lanka,” documents 99 of the several hundred cases reported, and examines the Sri Lankan government’s response, which to date has been grossly inadequate. In 2006 and 2007, the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances recorded more new “disappearance” cases from Sri Lanka than from any other country in the world.

“President Mahinda Rajapaksa, once a rights advocate, has now led his government to become one of the world’s worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The end of the ceasefire means this crisis will continue until the government starts taking serious measures.”

Under international law, a state commits an enforced disappearance when it takes a person into custody and denies holding them or disclosing their whereabouts. “Disappeared” persons are commonly subjected to torture or extrajudicial execution, and cause family members continued suffering. An enforced disappearance is a continuing rights violation â€“ it is ongoing until the fate or whereabouts of the person becomes known.

The vast majority of cases documented by Human Rights Watch indicate the involvement of government security forces â€“ army, navy, or police. In some cases, relatives of the “disappeared” identified specific military units that had detained their relatives and army camps where they had been taken. In other cases, they described uniformed policemen, especially members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), taking their relatives into custody before they “disappeared.”

via: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/06/slanka18203.htm

Also in Tamil & Sinhala

Posted in Random Thoughts | Comments Off

Luntbuild : Installation

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Nimal

This is the second part of the little notes about Luntbuild. This gives some basic installation steps of Luntbuild. For an introduction on Luntbuild refer this post.

Using zip distribution (without GUI), in Linux

Download the Luntbuild zip distribution from Luntbuild Sourceforge site, or from Luntbuid Javaforge site. This file is normally named luntbuild-xxx.zip, where xxx denotes the current version.

Extract the zip file into the directory where you want to install Luntbuild, say /opt/luntbuild. Edit the following files with your text editor:
- Edit file /opt/luntbuild/web/WEB-INF/web.xml:
- Replace $INSTALL_PATH with your Luntbuild installation path (/opt/luntbuild here).
- Optinally edit file /opt/luntbuild/web/WEB-INF/users.properties:
- Replace luntbuild=luntbuild with your desired site administrator password in the format luntbuild=youradminpassword. NOTE, that admin user HAS to be luntbuild
- If you use LDAP, edit file /opt/luntbuild/web/WEB-INF/ldap.properties and follow Luntbuild documentation to configure LDAP.

If you plan to run Luntbuild in standalone mode (without servlet container), just start Luntbuild as described in standalone section. Else copy all the contents under /opt/luntbuild/web directory, and deploy it as a web application to your application server, or servlet container. For example, if you are using Tomcat servlet container:
- Make sure Tomcat has been stopped
- Change to Tomcat install dir: > cd <tomcat install dir>/webapps
- Make luntbuild directory: > mkdir luntbuild
- Copy luntbuild/web to webapps: > cp -r /opt/luntbuild/web/* <tomcat install dir>/webapps/luntbuild
- Start Tomcat

Note: Do not create luntbuild.war file, just copy the contents under /opt/luntbuild/web directory to the luntbuild directory in the appropriate web application directory of your application server, or servlet container.

To launch Luntbuild in standalone mode run the following lines, where ‘localhost’ is the target host and 8080 is the port we need to run the Luntbuild service. (Instead of ‘localhost’ we can also use something like 172.16.7.107)
```
cd /opt/luntbuild-1.5.2/./luntbuild-standalone.jar localhost 8080
```

Now the Luntbuild server is up and running.
But if we need to access the server from outside, we need to open the service port which is 8080, on the host. To open a port in Redhat we can use the command lokkit.
The current installation of Luntbuild server can be accessed via http://localhost:8080/luntbuild/luntbuild-login.html

Using Luntbuild installer (with GUI), in Linux

Make sure you have JDK installed.
Get the ‘luntbuild-xxx-installer.jar’ installer file.
Make it executable by running the following command while you are in the directory it is in.
```
chmod +x luntbuild-xxx-installer.jar
```
Run the installer by running the following line.
```
./luntbuild-xxx-installer.jar
```
While installing I went on with the default parameters, except the installation path. I selected the install path as ‘/opt/luntbuild-1.5.2/’
To launch Luntbuild in standalone mode run the following lines, where ‘localhost’ is the target host and 8080 is the port we need to run the Luntbuild service. (Instead of ‘localhost’ we can also use something like 172.16.7.107)
```
cd /opt/luntbuild-1.5.2/./luntbuild-standalone.jar localhost 8080
```
Now the Luntbuild server is up and running.
But if we need to access the server from outside, we need to open the service port which is 8080, on the host. To open a port in Redhat we can use the command lokkit.
The current installation of Luntbuild server can be accessed via http://localhost:8080/luntbuild/luntbuild-login.html

Using Luntbuild installer (with GUI), in Windows

Have jdk1.4 or jdk1.5 installed, and add the directory which contains the java and jar executable into your system path

Make sure you get one of Luntbuild supported servlet containers or application servers installed (Servlet2.3 and JSP1.2 support are required), and make sure it has been stopped. Alternatively you can run Luntbuild in standalone mode.

Download Luntbuild installer from Luntbuild Sourceforge site, or from Luntbuid Javaforge site. This file is normally named as luntbuild-xxx-installer.jar, where xxx denotes current version.

Run command java -jar luntbuild-xxx-installer.jar. A GUI will display to guide you through the installation, and Luntbuild will install into the selected directory, let’s say /opt/luntbuild.

Deploy luntbuild.war (located in /opt/luntbuild directory) into your servlet container or application server. Note, that if you selected the deployment directory of your servlet container or application server during installation, the installer will deploy luntbuild.war for you. If you plan to run Luntbuild in standalone mode (without servlet container), just start Luntbuild as described in standalone section.

Access the Luntbuild web application through http://localhost:8080/luntbuild/luntbuild-login.html (Username/Password by default is luntbuild/luntbuild)
For more detailed installation steps, just refer to the original doc.