batteryslave » uncategorized http://www.batteryslave.com minor thoughts about gadgets, code, podcasts and other technical stuff... Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:41:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 ant replace task: remind the encoding http://www.batteryslave.com/2010/02/ant-replace-task-remind-the-encoding/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2010/02/ant-replace-task-remind-the-encoding/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:39:36 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=160 puh man again nearly going crazy over a simple problem.

the environment:

  • java project
  • edited in eclipse (an a mac)
  • check into subversion (on a linux box)
  • teamcity buildserver using ant build script (same linux box as subversion)

what happened: everywhere the encoding was correct beside one file. in that file my umlauts where messed. in my eclipse build (warning: not using the ant there) everything was fine. but when is looked at the file in teamcitys build directory it was messed. at first i thought of subversion. checked everything out by hand on the linux box => fine. then i tried to find out how teamcity uses svn. they have their own implementation. so i figured they do something wrong. so i updated teamcity from 4.5 to 5.0.2…same result. so i waited about a week.
then with a fresh mind i looked at the ant script when it hit me: i had a replace task to set the buildnumber in the messed sourcecode file (perhaps an unusual attemped but…). and replace uses the default encoding of the executing jvm. i neede to set the encoding for the javac task but i forgot or better didnt consider it a problem for the replace.
with the encoding set everything was fine. see how:


<replace file="MainWindow.java" token="buildnumber" value="${myBuildNumber}"  encoding="ISO-8859-1"/>
]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2010/02/ant-replace-task-remind-the-encoding/feed/ 0 getting ruby on rails to run on my debian 4 vps http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/10/getting-ruby-on-rails-to-run-on-my-debian-4-vps/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/10/getting-ruby-on-rails-to-run-on-my-debian-4-vps/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:29:26 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=151 man…always fighting to get a recent version of anything to run on the debian 4 (etch) vps i have. this time: ruby on rails. ruby v1.9.1, gems 1.3.5 and ror 2.3.4 is what i had i mind.

first step: download ruby. execute the usual ./configure && make && make install triplet. worked fine. then download ruby gems. but when i tried to run anything with gem i got:


/usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `gem_original_require': no such file to load -- zlib (LoadError)
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/spec_fetcher.rb:1
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `gem_original_require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/commands/update_command.rb:5
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `gem_original_require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb:167:in `load_and_instantiate'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb:88:in `[]'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb:144:in `find_command'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb:131:in `process_args'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb:102:in `run'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/gem_runner.rb:58:in `run'
from /usr/local/bin/gem:21

after googleing and trying some stuff i solved it this way:

  • edit ruby-1.9.1-p0/ext/Setup
  • uncomment the line zlib
  • make && make install again

next step. successfully let gem install rails. but then ruby script/server stopped with:


=> Booting WEBrick
=> Rails 2.3.4 application starting on http://0.0.0.0:3000
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/rails-2.3.4/lib/initializer.rb:271:in `rescue in require_frameworks': no such file to load -- openssl (RuntimeError)
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/rails-2.3.4/lib/initializer.rb:268:in `require_frameworks'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/rails-2.3.4/lib/initializer.rb:134:in `process'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/rails-2.3.4/lib/initializer.rb:113:in `run'
from /var/www/rails/ukk/config/environment.rb:9:in `'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/activesupport-2.3.4/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:156:in `require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/activesupport-2.3.4/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:156:in `block in require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/activesupport-2.3.4/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:521:in `new_constants_in'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/activesupport-2.3.4/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:156:in `require'
from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/rails-2.3.4/lib/commands/server.rb:84:in `'
from script/server:3:in `require'
from script/server:3:in `

'

after a another round i found this site with help:

  • apt-get install openssl libssl-dev
  • apt-get install ruby1.9-dev
  • cd ruby-1.9.1-p129/ext/openssl
  • ruby extconf.rb
  • make && make install

that worked. nice. so now i am waiting for the next fail

]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/10/getting-ruby-on-rails-to-run-on-my-debian-4-vps/feed/ 0 damn, new server: forgot to enable mod_rewrite http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/02/damn-new-server-forgot-to-enable-mod_rewrite/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/02/damn-new-server-forgot-to-enable-mod_rewrite/#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:24:51 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=81 dont know if someone besides thilo noticed, but since i reinstalled my server (2 weeks ago) all the links in this blog (running wordpress) where broken.

wordpress uses an apache module called mod_rewrite to rewrite the url. so what u see in the adressbar in your browser is not like

www.batterslave.com/?p=9

but

www.batteryslave.com/2009/02/lixhot-boysmeisenfrei-log/

a bit more readable. but i forgot to enable the module. that is an easy step if you running a standard debian 4.0 linux on your server like i do. apache 2 comes with some little helper scripts for managing modules and sites. in my case the script a2enmod will do the job (# will symbolise my prompt):

# a2enmod rewrite

after that you call

# /etc/init.d/apache2 reload

so apache relaods the module and config. and we are ready to run.

]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/02/damn-new-server-forgot-to-enable-mod_rewrite/feed/ 0 oecher coder – .net user group aachen (germany) http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/01/oecher-coder-net-user-group-aachen-germany/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/01/oecher-coder-net-user-group-aachen-germany/#comments Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:29:16 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=64

there is a .net user group forming in aachen. we met twice. next time we meet end of januar 2009 and there will be a presentation about wpf.

]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2009/01/oecher-coder-net-user-group-aachen-germany/feed/ 0 another one joining the shelfari posse http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/another-one-joining-the-shelfari-posse/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/another-one-joining-the-shelfari-posse/#comments Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:18:24 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=54 i am adding myself into the line of book-shelf-sharers. after michel, björn and stefan here is my shelfari.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog
]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/another-one-joining-the-shelfari-posse/feed/ 0 Do not pollute your code http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/do-not-pollute-your-code/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/do-not-pollute-your-code/#comments Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:31:08 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=53 Last week a had another episode where i realized how important it is to remove code and files u are not shure why they are there. ok i have to admit i am still living in an environment with about 500k lines of code and a coverage far away from 10%. so testing was not our strength. so it is a bit harder to know if the code is used anywhere.

but still. to pollute your source-tree with stuff you dont need anymore but are afraid to loose is a bad habit. of course you should have source control to have the security to return to a point in the past where the code existed. but dont comment dozens of lines in production-code. it makes it hard to read and probably the next time you are going to implement the commented code your u are smarter and will do it better.

as i like to say: removing old code is as nice as producing new one.

happy removing…

]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/do-not-pollute-your-code/feed/ 0 Favorite Tools I http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/favorite-tools-i/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/favorite-tools-i/#comments Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:07:01 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=52 I know there are a lot of tools lists out there one of the the best i found for Windows based tools is the one of scott hanselman.  but because this one is very big and has a lot of tools in it and also lacks the mac os site of stuff i decided to compile my very little own tools list:

file manager

windows: total commander (26€)

most powerful two-pane-designed eplorer substitute i know. is around a long time now and still updated. with all the good stuff we loved in norton commander (which we called "the friend" back in the days). but here is what i like most:

  • obviously the two pane design
  • the focus on keyboard over mouse
  • instant search as you type like firefox (there are various other options to search the current filelist)
  • multiple tab support
  • syncronous navigation of the open panes (when developing software it is that you often have multiple nearly equal directory tree, open them both in one pane and navigate through them in sync, very nice)
  • the copy/move-queue (you can add to a queue when copying/moving files)
  • renaming assistant

mac os x: pathfinder (40€)

a nice replacement for the finder. no comparison to total commander but ok. i like:

  • the drop stack where you can drop files and dirs
  • intergated terminal
  • integrated preview

editor (usually for viewing only)

my normal editor for coding is the editor in my ide (visual studio or eclipse). but for viewing textfiles or searching/replacing in them i use:

windows: notepad++ (free, os)

  • fast
  • multiple opened files (can remember which files where open in last session)
  • can change encoding format

mac os x: macvim (free, os)

mac os clone of the glorious loved/hated vim-editor.

  • vim can do everything…

image viewing

windows: irfanview (free)

  • fast
  • can make screenshots
  • nice printing
  • view exif data
  • crop images

mac os x: xee (free)

  • fast
  • very easy interface
image editing

windows: paint.net (free, os)

  • fast
  • supports layers

mac os x: photoshop elements (70€)

  • most features i used from photoshop i can use here
  • repair brush
  • scan ability
  • the legendary photoshup user interface

to bee continued…

]]> http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/11/favorite-tools-i/feed/ 0 angry monkeys http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/10/angry-monkeys/ http://www.batteryslave.com/2008/10/angry-monkeys/#comments Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:50:43 +0000 batteryslave http://www.batteryslave.com/?p=46 today i got a copy of the book The Productive Programmer by Neal Ford seems like a great book. i will write about it when i read it more but while scrolling through it a small story got my attention: the angry monkeys. great stuff. here it is:

several years ago some scientist made an experiment. they put 5 monkeys in a cage, hung some bananas on the ceiling and added a stepladder to the scenery. the monkeys got the bananas with the ladder. in the next step the scientists sprayed the monkeys with ice cold water as soon as they touched the stepladder. so they learned not to touch the ladder what means no bananas. next step: remove a monkey and add one who doesn’t now the scene. so the monkey tried to get the bananas with the ladder. as soon as he reaches over to the ladder the other monkeys beat him up (angry monkeys). the monkeys that know the water where replaced by unknown monkeys in the next steps until not one monkeys knew why they beat up the new clueless monkey.

u see at the end none of the monkeys know why they beat up the clueless one. doesn’t this sound familiar? ever got the answer: “cause we do it that way forever?” the monkeys would say that…

so u should find a better cause for something. and when you dont know why. don’t do it!

so long basti

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