You can read the full report on the CompTIA website at the link below.
www.comptia.org/news/pressreleases/11-06-28/Making_the_Grade_Technology_Helps_Boosts_Student_Performance_Staff_Productivity_in_Nation’s_Schools_New_CompTIA_Study_Finds.aspx
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
HTC Desire battery life booster trick » Eurodroid
Well like all those with a smartphone, I'm looking for a way to extend the life of my phone. I've used all the tricks, turning this and that off, doing and not doing things, wearing certain underwear...no skip that part!
I found this suggestion a little while ago and tried it. It does seem to have worked for me, my battery life is better, not a massive improvement, but certainly better than it was. I've also told others of this and it hasn't worked for them so who knows.
Be warned though that although this is just charging and turning on and off, do it at your own risk, I'm just posting a link :-)
See you soon,
INE
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Eclipse Part 2
Here is the next part of my Eclipse set up.
As you may recall from the first part, you needed to download the SDK from the Andriod development website.
When selecting the software for Windows, its best to select the ZIP file instead of the recommended EXE file as this has the SDK manager which will help to download the packages.
Once it's downloaded, unzip and in the folder select the SDK manager (looks like the green Android)
Accept the licence and the manager will download the packages (this could take a while depending on the ones you select)
As you may recall from the first part, you needed to download the SDK from the Andriod development website.
 |
| The Zip file is the best option for Windows |
Once it's downloaded, unzip and in the folder select the SDK manager (looks like the green Android)
You will then be asked which packages you want to download, the ones you choose will depend on which Android OS you are going to make apps for as well as the parts of the system you want to use e.g. Google Maps.
 |
| Accept the licence before downloading |
Then select the virtual devices option and click new.
You will then need to copy and paste the URL form the Android developer website.
Paste the URL in the Work With box, click Add and name the repository.
Lastly, go to Window>Preferences and click on the Android option on the side.
Then in the SDK Location, browse to the SDK software folder you downloaded earlier.
This will add the packages to Eclipse.
And your done, I will be adding more once I've had a play around and set up a few test apps. I hope this helps, please leave comments.
See you soon,
INE
You will then see the screen to add a virtual device, here you can allocate the amount of SD capacity, the hardware it will need to emulate and the OS it will run.
Now go back to Eclipse and select Help>Install new software.
Paste the URL in the Work With box, click Add and name the repository.
Lastly, go to Window>Preferences and click on the Android option on the side.
Then in the SDK Location, browse to the SDK software folder you downloaded earlier.
This will add the packages to Eclipse.
And your done, I will be adding more once I've had a play around and set up a few test apps. I hope this helps, please leave comments.
See you soon,
INE
Eclipse Part 1
I have been watching some tutorials on setting up and using Eclipse, I am looking to try and broaden my knowledge of java as well as hopefully make a couple of apps that people will want to use.
I will post a link to the tutorials I used but I also want to talk you through my experience.
Firstly, you need to download the Eclipse software and the Android SDK software, links to both of these are on the links page.
You need to select the 'Eclipse IDE for Java Developers' file.
You will then be asked what OS toy have and asked to select a mirror site for the download if you require.
After you have downloaded Eclipse, install in the usual way. During the install it will ask you to select a Target directory for the workspace, make sure you remember where you save it to as you will need to find it later.
Continue with the install, when finished, open the program where you will be greeted with the welcome screen.
Select workbench and you should then get this screen.
OK, so that's Eclipse downloaded and started, in the next part I'll show you how to set up the SDK and the virtual console.
Lastly, a big thank you to all those who have checked out my blog, please leave comments.
See you soon,
INE
I will post a link to the tutorials I used but I also want to talk you through my experience.
Firstly, you need to download the Eclipse software and the Android SDK software, links to both of these are on the links page.
You need to select the 'Eclipse IDE for Java Developers' file.
You will then be asked what OS toy have and asked to select a mirror site for the download if you require.
After you have downloaded Eclipse, install in the usual way. During the install it will ask you to select a Target directory for the workspace, make sure you remember where you save it to as you will need to find it later.
Continue with the install, when finished, open the program where you will be greeted with the welcome screen.
Select workbench and you should then get this screen.
OK, so that's Eclipse downloaded and started, in the next part I'll show you how to set up the SDK and the virtual console.
Lastly, a big thank you to all those who have checked out my blog, please leave comments.
See you soon,
INE
Monday, 27 June 2011
Microsoft seeking free-to-play Xbox Live games, TechRadar UK
This sounds very exciting, lets hope it happens.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
How SSDs work
In the eternal quest for the Comp TIA certification, any knowledge is helpful.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Thursday, 23 June 2011
BBC News - FBI targets cyber security scammers
A scary business, more and more security issues hitting the headlines every day...lets be careful out there!
INE
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Mac and PC together in harmony
Well after my frankly laughable attempt to put Linux on my daughters Mac G4 Cube, I decided if you can't been them, join them, so, I decided to (as is my way) add the Mac to the family network.
I had thought that this may be more difficult that it actually was, in fact it was very quick and easy, here's how:
First, you need to identify which folder you are going to share, I'm using My Documents as a test, but you can use any.
Then, right click the folder and select 'Properties' then under the sharing tab, check the boxes for 'Share this folder on the network and 'Allow network users to change my files'. The second option will allow you to save files to the PC from the Mac. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'.
Now you need to go to your Mac and from the 'Finders' 'Go' menu, click on 'Connect to Server
You will then be presented with a box to enter the server address, this can be you IP address, but if you have a dynamic IP address, this may cause problems. You can however, also use your PC computer name which you can find by going to Start>Control Panel>System then click on the 'Computer Name' tab and there you are under 'Full Computer Name'.
Enter the IP address or Computer Name in the box preceded by smb:// e.g. smp://mycomputer (it's not case sensitive).
I had thought that this may be more difficult that it actually was, in fact it was very quick and easy, here's how:
First, you need to identify which folder you are going to share, I'm using My Documents as a test, but you can use any.
Then, right click the folder and select 'Properties' then under the sharing tab, check the boxes for 'Share this folder on the network and 'Allow network users to change my files'. The second option will allow you to save files to the PC from the Mac. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'.
Now you need to go to your Mac and from the 'Finders' 'Go' menu, click on 'Connect to Server
You will then be presented with a box to enter the server address, this can be you IP address, but if you have a dynamic IP address, this may cause problems. You can however, also use your PC computer name which you can find by going to Start>Control Panel>System then click on the 'Computer Name' tab and there you are under 'Full Computer Name'.
Enter the IP address or Computer Name in the box preceded by smb:// e.g. smp://mycomputer (it's not case sensitive).
If the Mac finds your server, you will be prompted to enter your PC's password, click OK.
It will now ask you to select the folder you want to share (all your shared folders if you have more than one will show up)
Once you click OK, it will add the folder to your desktop on the Mac, and there you have it!
From this point, I want to have my daughters things on the server accessible to her on her Mac, you can drag and drop files on to your Mac desktop and it will copy it across, the same works the other way too. However if you have a large file that you want to stream from the server, then you can create an alias (shortcut in windows terms) by using 'Control+Click' on the mouse on the file and selecting 'create alias'. Once the alias is created, drag it to your Mac desktop.
Job done, and quick too.
See you soon,
INE
Linux on a Mac
I decided to try and change the OS on my daughters old Apple Mac G4 Cube (yes its old!) But it does well enough for what my daughter needs which is mainly a bit of web surfing and watching DVD’s.
The main reason for my decision then to change the OS is that although it works well, I had previously updated the OS to OS X Tiger, which although apparently is compatible, has been slow at times. I thought that maybe a Linux alternative would work better, here is my big mistake!
My first job was to find a Linux distro that would be compatible with Power PC architecture. After some searching, the overall winner was Yellow Dog Linux, or LDY as it’s also known. I downloaded version 6.2 and proceeded to burn the ISO to a DVD.
I booted the Mac from the DVD drive (for those who don’t know how to do that, insert the DVD when the computer is on and running, then reboot while holding the ‘C’ key and it will boot from the DVD drive) The installation process started and all was going well, it then told me that the computer didnt have enough RAM to load the GIU so it would run the setup in text mode. I imagine that this should have raised alarm bells at first. The G4 Cube, as I have it, only has a small amount of RAM, but I thought that this was enough for OS X so should be good enough and make it a bit faster rather than having to buy more RAM for an aging computer.
The OS continued to install with no problems, and after about 30 minutes, it rebooted. This is where I spent the next 3-4 hours trying to load the GIU.
The initial screen I got was a LocalHost Login screen, this was asking for a username and password. I had only specified a password for the root so I wasn’t sure If there was a problem. I did a search and found that I needed to set up a user account, but first I needed to log in as root, to do this, you enter ‘root’ as the username and then the password you set up in the installation.
I found this guide on a website called ps3badego:
The text mode installer does not create a regular user account -- just "root" -- and it is not good practice to log in as the root user. So use this command to create a regular user account now:
useradd yourusername
(replace "yourusername" with your desired login name)
Create a password for the account:
passwd yourusername
(replace "yourusername" with the one you used)
That's it -- you're done!
reboot
This worked like a charm to set up my user account, but I was still in text mode, again Google was my friend, and I found this to alter the code and change the settings. Apparently, if you have to use text mode in the setup, it keeps this as the default so you may need to change it to see the GIU. I got this from Yellow Dog Linux:
Switching to Graphical Mode after Text based Install
At the "localhost login" prompt, enter "root". Press [ENTER]
At the root password (this was set during installation) and press [ENTER]
Type Xautoconfig and press [ENTER]. It will create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf and set it up with the parameters necessary to run a graphical system.
Edit the file /etc/inittab. Look for the line that reads:
id:3:initdefault:
.. and change it to:
id:5:initdefault:
Edit the file /etc/yaboot.conf and change the line that reads:
append="rhgb quiet root=LABEL=/1"
... to ...
append="video=ps3fb:mode:{YOUR VIDEO MODE} rhgb quiet root=LABEL=/1"
Refer to various video modes for more information on how to get particular videos and which you should use.
Reboot your system:
reboot [ENTER]
Your system will now start by default into a low resolutions graphical mode.
My system did reboot....but it said that the GUI couldn't be loaded, it did try bless it, to reconfigure but with no luck.
I tried several other tips that I picked up including altering the yaboot.conf file but changing the default display driver to versa.
Nothing worked, I was ashamed to say that I had to reload the OS X.
Since this though I have come across another tip that may help those who are trying the same thing, this is from LinuxQuestions.org
The configuration of the X server is stored in /etc/X11/xorg.conf. You can verify this position by checking the log file mentioned above. Near the beginning of the file you find
If a Live CD does recognize a card, it creates the config file and then starts the X(org) server.
If a particular config file does work on the Live CD, chances are high that it also works with the normal installation.
So, save the config file from the Live CD, e.g to a floppy disk, USB drive. Then start the normal installation, rename the old config file (the one that did not work) and copy the config file from the floppy disk to its place. Then restart the system.
This should result in some kind of graphical display. It might not be the perfect one - but you can at least start firefox and try to get more help.
This is using a Live version of the Linux distro you want to use, I may not have succeeded buy hopefully you will!
See you soon,
INE
 |
| A classic |
The main reason for my decision then to change the OS is that although it works well, I had previously updated the OS to OS X Tiger, which although apparently is compatible, has been slow at times. I thought that maybe a Linux alternative would work better, here is my big mistake!
My first job was to find a Linux distro that would be compatible with Power PC architecture. After some searching, the overall winner was Yellow Dog Linux, or LDY as it’s also known. I downloaded version 6.2 and proceeded to burn the ISO to a DVD.
I booted the Mac from the DVD drive (for those who don’t know how to do that, insert the DVD when the computer is on and running, then reboot while holding the ‘C’ key and it will boot from the DVD drive) The installation process started and all was going well, it then told me that the computer didnt have enough RAM to load the GIU so it would run the setup in text mode. I imagine that this should have raised alarm bells at first. The G4 Cube, as I have it, only has a small amount of RAM, but I thought that this was enough for OS X so should be good enough and make it a bit faster rather than having to buy more RAM for an aging computer.
 |
| Bit of a blurred picture, this is the text installer. |
The OS continued to install with no problems, and after about 30 minutes, it rebooted. This is where I spent the next 3-4 hours trying to load the GIU.
The initial screen I got was a LocalHost Login screen, this was asking for a username and password. I had only specified a password for the root so I wasn’t sure If there was a problem. I did a search and found that I needed to set up a user account, but first I needed to log in as root, to do this, you enter ‘root’ as the username and then the password you set up in the installation.
I found this guide on a website called ps3badego:
The text mode installer does not create a regular user account -- just "root" -- and it is not good practice to log in as the root user. So use this command to create a regular user account now:
useradd yourusername
(replace "yourusername" with your desired login name)
Create a password for the account:
passwd yourusername
(replace "yourusername" with the one you used)
That's it -- you're done!
reboot
This worked like a charm to set up my user account, but I was still in text mode, again Google was my friend, and I found this to alter the code and change the settings. Apparently, if you have to use text mode in the setup, it keeps this as the default so you may need to change it to see the GIU. I got this from Yellow Dog Linux:
Switching to Graphical Mode after Text based Install
At the "localhost login" prompt, enter "root". Press [ENTER]
At the root password (this was set during installation) and press [ENTER]
Type Xautoconfig and press [ENTER]. It will create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf and set it up with the parameters necessary to run a graphical system.
Edit the file /etc/inittab. Look for the line that reads:
id:3:initdefault:
.. and change it to:
id:5:initdefault:
Edit the file /etc/yaboot.conf and change the line that reads:
append="rhgb quiet root=LABEL=/1"
... to ...
append="video=ps3fb:mode:{YOUR VIDEO MODE} rhgb quiet root=LABEL=/1"
Refer to various video modes for more information on how to get particular videos and which you should use.
Reboot your system:
reboot [ENTER]
Your system will now start by default into a low resolutions graphical mode.
My system did reboot....but it said that the GUI couldn't be loaded, it did try bless it, to reconfigure but with no luck.
I tried several other tips that I picked up including altering the yaboot.conf file but changing the default display driver to versa.
Nothing worked, I was ashamed to say that I had to reload the OS X.
Since this though I have come across another tip that may help those who are trying the same thing, this is from LinuxQuestions.org
The configuration of the X server is stored in /etc/X11/xorg.conf. You can verify this position by checking the log file mentioned above. Near the beginning of the file you find
Quote:
(==) Using config file "....." |
If a Live CD does recognize a card, it creates the config file and then starts the X(org) server.
If a particular config file does work on the Live CD, chances are high that it also works with the normal installation.
So, save the config file from the Live CD, e.g to a floppy disk, USB drive. Then start the normal installation, rename the old config file (the one that did not work) and copy the config file from the floppy disk to its place. Then restart the system.
This should result in some kind of graphical display. It might not be the perfect one - but you can at least start firefox and try to get more help.
This is using a Live version of the Linux distro you want to use, I may not have succeeded buy hopefully you will!
See you soon,
INE
Friday, 17 June 2011
It's all coming together
If you have read some of my other posts, you'll remember that I have been trying to find ways to integrate my work and my phone in particular trying to get access to my network on my phone.
At the moment I'm using Opera together with the unite add on to give me web based access to my files. You just need to email yourself (or your friends) the link that it gives you along with the password and then you can access your files from any web browser.
I had tested other apps like Dropbox and Sugarsync however I wasn't keen on having to upload all my files to their servers (which has a limit on the free space you can use). This is especially the case when my files are already on my home server.
Another way that I am attempting to link everything together is by using Google Calendar, by using this, I can access my calender by using many of the Android apps like Jorte (although upload to Google is a problem at the minute) and Snapcal which seems to be uploading and downloading well to and form Google.
I also find Google Docs very helpful for allowing me to access and use documents on my mobile or laptop, this is great if you have some spare time while your out waiting for something and you can quickly type away and then finish it off later at home.
I've been impressed with the number of ways you can access and use your files while on the fly, and i'm going to continue to try different things and of course, let you know.
See you soon
INE
At the moment I'm using Opera together with the unite add on to give me web based access to my files. You just need to email yourself (or your friends) the link that it gives you along with the password and then you can access your files from any web browser.
I had tested other apps like Dropbox and Sugarsync however I wasn't keen on having to upload all my files to their servers (which has a limit on the free space you can use). This is especially the case when my files are already on my home server.
Another way that I am attempting to link everything together is by using Google Calendar, by using this, I can access my calender by using many of the Android apps like Jorte (although upload to Google is a problem at the minute) and Snapcal which seems to be uploading and downloading well to and form Google.
I also find Google Docs very helpful for allowing me to access and use documents on my mobile or laptop, this is great if you have some spare time while your out waiting for something and you can quickly type away and then finish it off later at home.
I've been impressed with the number of ways you can access and use your files while on the fly, and i'm going to continue to try different things and of course, let you know.
See you soon
INE
Monday, 13 June 2011
Facebook on Android
Since I've had my new mobile, I've tried many apps on the Android Market, one that I first downloaded was the Facebook app.
I know that a lot of people use this app but I (and my wife) have had a few problems with it. The main problem is that it often doesn't update properly, or it doesn't load my available contacts on the chat screen.
In an attempt to access these features, I started to look at alternatives. I tried Tweetdeck which I found to be very easy to check Facebook and Twitter on the same screens, though sometimes it won't upload a tweet or update I put on Facebook. So far I have found a good alternative by using the Opera browser app, this works really well as it only shows the important information on the screen, and also allows you to use some of the features that you can't access on the Facebook app like pokes.
As always, feedback is welcome, If you know of a better app or another way to use Facebook on Android then let us know.
See you soon,
INE
I know that a lot of people use this app but I (and my wife) have had a few problems with it. The main problem is that it often doesn't update properly, or it doesn't load my available contacts on the chat screen.
In an attempt to access these features, I started to look at alternatives. I tried Tweetdeck which I found to be very easy to check Facebook and Twitter on the same screens, though sometimes it won't upload a tweet or update I put on Facebook. So far I have found a good alternative by using the Opera browser app, this works really well as it only shows the important information on the screen, and also allows you to use some of the features that you can't access on the Facebook app like pokes.
As always, feedback is welcome, If you know of a better app or another way to use Facebook on Android then let us know.
See you soon,
INE
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Android
I recently got a new Android HTC Desire and have been playing with it like a kid with a new toy. I've been testing out all the apps in the market as well as trying (as always) to see if I can integrate my phone into my network.
So I thought that I would add a page for all things Android, be it apps, firmware, phones or general things I have tried myself and want to share in the hope that it will help you.
I'll keep you posted!
See you soon,
INE
Friday, 10 June 2011
Roaming Profile
My current project is setting up a roaming profile on my server that the desktop and the laptop can access. Not only is this good experience for me but will also help as we have a number of applications that we would like to have access to regardless of what computer we are using.
I will be posting on my progress and how I did it, but I thought I'd also post this guide that I discovered from Microsoft that guides you throught it.
I'll let you know if this guide works and any problems I encounter.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314478
See you soon
INE
I will be posting on my progress and how I did it, but I thought I'd also post this guide that I discovered from Microsoft that guides you throught it.
I'll let you know if this guide works and any problems I encounter.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314478
See you soon
INE
Monday, 6 June 2011
E3
I've been reading all about the rumours surrounding the E3 event that has just started. I always like to keep up with new technology even if I can't always afford it!
I'm following a couple of Twitter sites, Gamespot and Wired to name just two, I'll also be posting via my Twitter account for those who are following me, a link to mine is at the bottom of this page along with a list of my tweets.
You can also check out the live feed on YouTube if you so desire.
See you Soon,
INE
Sunday, 5 June 2011
In my shoes
If there is anyone out there who has taken the Comp TIA A+ exam or who are currently studying for it and would like to share your experiences then please let me know. Similarly, if you have any top tips or have completed a project and think others would benefit from it then tell us about it and we can post it on here (with a full mention to you who put in all the hard work of course).
Amahi
After successfully installing Windows 7 on my server, I noticed that it was slower than I really wanted. I thought about alternatives and came across some software called AMAHI http://www.amahi.org/. This software is designed to create a web based server so that all you need is a web browser to access your files and media.
However to run, AMAHI needs a Linux OS called Fedora which is a derivative of Red Hat. I have never tried a Linux OS before and thought that it would be a good learning challenge for me.
I wanted to try out the OS first so I downloaded the 'Live' version which boots from a CD. You need to select the version that is compatible with your PC.
The good part about this is that you can try out the OS without having to install it, then if you are happy, there is an option to download and install the OS on to your hard disk. This was fairly painless, there are numerous guides on how to do this, and I found the setup very easy to follow.
There is an option that is explained in the Amahi guide, that enables Amahi to be loaded at the same time as installing the OS, this is really useful and makes the process much easier.
Once everything is installed, you will have the option to run Amahi, within the program are 'widgets' that you can install to add features to your server, such as media players, video streamers etc. This all enables you to access your content from any web browser.
Unfortunately, I haven't got any screenshots as I deleted Amahi to work on another project, but there screenshots on their website along with a list of the widgets and guides on how to set it up.
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