Using ODBC 32-bit on 64-bit Operating System

Which ODBC driver should we install on 64-bit machine using Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, or Windows 8? It would depend. When I installed MySQL ODBC 64-bit driver on Windows 8.1 Preview, it worked when I added a new DSN. But, it did not work when Microsoft Access 2007 application made ODBC call to MySQL server.

What wrong? It took me couple hours to figure out. Microsoft Access 2007 may not work with other 64-bit driver or program yet. Installed MySQL ODBC 32-bit solve the problem.

On Windows 8.1, there are two ODBC Administrors under Control Panel – Administrative Tools. One for ODBC Datasources 32-bit and one for ODBC Datasources 64-bit. On Windows Server 2008 R2, there is only one reference to ODBC Administrator. This is 64-bit. Where is 32-bit? To add or manage DSN for ODBC 32-bit, you need to call program odbcad32.exe in C:\Windows\SysWOW64\

Hope this help.

How to access Wamp Server running on Windows 2008 from other computer?

The firewall rules on Windows 7 or Windows 2008 or later version may not allow you access to your web site running by WampServer from other computer. To fix this problem:

Step 1: Update httpd.conf to add this line
Allow from 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0 # for LAN
#or
Allow from all # for any computer in the world
Remember to restart Apache server after change the httpd.conf

Step 2: Check Windows Firewall.

• Is the port 80 open?
• Is the Apache Web Server (\wamp\bin\apache\Apache2.4.4\bin\httpd.exe allow to receive the request from other?

WAMP

WAMP stands for Microsoft Windows operating system, Apache web server, MySQL database, and PHP general-purpose scripting language for server side Web development. Among WAMP server packages, I like WampServer since it easy to instal, have latest version from Apache, MySQL and PHP and it's free. Before you install the WampServer, you need to make sure your computer have:

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 run-time. Without Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 run-time, you will see the error message "vcr100.dll missing" when install.
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1. This fixed the problem 'aestan tray menu has stopped' when you start the WampServer

To install Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64) ( http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=14632 )

On Windows 2008R2 server, make sure .NET Framework 3.5.1 enable. It disable by default. ( http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/ac1bf719-0a88-4b5d-be98-395f2623e805/what-version-of-net-framework-comes-with-windows-2008-r2 )

Failed to load libGL.so

Here is the solution for error message 'Failed to load libGL.so' when launch Android Virtual Device (AVD) from Android Studio 0.2 on Ubuntu 13.04 32 bit:

Install 'Free Implementation of the OpenGL API-GLX development files' (libgl1-mesa-dev) package from Ubuntu Software Center

or type this command at terminal
sudo apt-get install libgl1-mesa-dev

Credit: http://learnedstuffs.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/fixing-ubuntu-error-failed-to-load-libgl-so/

Android Studio

On Google IO 2013, Google introduced Android Studio, based on IntelliJ IDEA, a new tool for Android developers. I liked it. Since it was a preview version, Google noted:

Caution: Android Studio is currently available as an early access preview. Several features are either incomplete or not yet implemented and you may encounter bugs. If you are not comfortable using an unfinished product, you may want to instead download (or continue to use) the ADT Bundle (Eclipse with the ADT Plugin).

As soon it posted on developer.android.com, I downloaded and installed on three platforms: Ubuntu 13.04, Mac OS/X Lion 10.7.5 and Windows Vista. On Ubuntu 13.04 with OpenJDK 1.7, I got this error message:

'tool.jar' is not in Android Studio class path. Please ensure JAVA_HOME points to JDK rather than JRE.

I have no problem using Eclipse Juno (4.2.2) for Android development on this machine. Ran android-studio/bin/studio.sh at a terminal, there was a warning:

WARNING: You are launching the IDE using OpenJDK Java runtime. ITS KNOWN TO HAVE PERFORMANCE AND GRAPHICS ISSUES! SWITCH TO THE ORACLE(SUN) JDK BEFORE REPORTING PROBLEMS!

Downloaded and switched to Oracle (Sun) JDK from OpenJDK on Ubuntu 13.04 according to Hendré's blog, problem solved.

On Mac OS/X with Java 1.6.0_45, I got Android Studio ran immediately without hicup. After I made a new simple project to test, I could not load any Android Virtual Device. To work around, I opened Android Virtual Device Manager from Eclipse Juno to load the Android Application launched from Android Studio.

On Windows Vista with JRE 7 installed only, Nothing running after executed Android Studio (c:\android-studio\studio,exe) application. Tried to replaced Oracle JRE 7 with Oracle JDK 7, no luck. Solution: Added environment variable JAVA_HOME with value "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_21) to system variables. Further reading:

• Getting Started with Android Studio. Need to read this page thoroughly to save time.
• IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio FAQ. This FAQ is good.

MySQL error #1045 on GoDaddy phpMyAdmin

After I made a new MySQL databases, I logged in to phpMyAdmin to test and got this message:

#1045 – Access denied for user ‘myusername’@’10.10.10.10’ (using password: YES)

What???

After couple attempts for a few hours, I decided to use a new difference password. Now it worked. It seem to me, there is a character in my initial password did not carry to or accepted by MySQL database.

New Year New Password

Your password should change frequently. If you cannot change every month, every quarter, then at least once a year.

When you change the password, it should NOT in "The 25 worst passwords of 2012". You should NOT using the same password for all accounts. Use the KeePass or a password protected LibreOffice document to keep track your password. Read "The guide to password security (and why you should care)" for more info.

Happy New Year!

How to upgrade to Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) from Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin)

The latest version of a great Linux distribution, Ubuntu 12.10 code name Quantal Quetzal, release today. You should receive the notification of this new release on Update Manager. If not:

1. Go to Settings on Update Manager and change 'Notify me of a new Ubuntu version' to 'For any new version''
2. Check again. You will see a notification 'New Ubuntu release 12.10 is available'. 
3. Click the 'Upgrade' button to upgrade to Ubuntu 12.10

Manual Install WordPress on GoDaddy 2G Web Hosting Plan

You may got this message "This application is NOT compatible with any of your hosting plans" when attempt to install WordPress on GoDaddy 2G Web Hosting. If you did not want to upgrade to 4G plan, you can manual install a latest version of WordPress by yourself.

1. Make sure the setting for PHP version is 5.3 in Programming Languages section.
2. Create MySQL database for WordPress from your GoDaddy Web Hosting control panel. Here the database name is same as user.
3. Download the latest stable release of WordPress (Version 3.4.2) here.
4. Unzip the archive, modify wp-config-sample.php as instructed in Famous 5-Minutes Install page.
5. Upload to GoDaddy web hosting.

If you experience the Http error 500, check your wp-config.php to make sure the database user name has no @ sign (myusername not myusername@127.0.0.1 for example)

Upgrade Eclipse IDE and Android SDK

Today, a new version of Eclipse IDE and Android released. Eclipse released Eclipse Juno 4.2. It has a special package for mobile developer. Google released Android 4.1 SDK, codename Jelly Bean. I'm going update my MacBook Pro with these new software.

1. Downloaded Eclipse Juno 4.2 for Mobile Developers, 142 MB.
2. Extracted it to Downloads folder.
3. Removed existing Eclipse (Indigo) folder from Application.
4. Moved new Eclipse folder from Downloads to Application
5. Started Eclipse and re-install Android Development Tools (ADT)
6. On Eclipse Juno 4.2 IDE, select Windows -> Android SDK Manager to update Android SDK Tools to rev. 20 and downloaded Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
7. Create new AVD for Android 4.1 from AVD Manager
8. Re-tested old projects to make sure they ran as expected.

Unity Launchpad error in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) Beta 1

In the last couple days, I encountered the Unity Launchpad error in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) Beta 1. I got the error dialog box displayed, closed it, got a blank screen, nothing there. No launchpad.

How I got into the terminal or launched the application? How I fixed it?

Launched the keyboard shortcut by pressed these keys together <Ctrl><Alt>T

Now in the terminal, I ran these commands:
~$ sudo apt-get update
~$ sudo apt-get upgrade

I thought the new updates would fix it. Still no launchpad. I typed this command at the terminal
~$ unity

The launchpad launched. Still some glitches. Reboot. Repeated these processes above couple times, it worked.

Hot Computer Languages: PHP, Python, and Ruby

Udemy had this interesting post regarding to these scripting languages. I love to use all three of them :)

Read Error in LibreOffice

If you cannot open the LibreOffice document due to read error as the picture below

Un-install LibreOffice version 3.4 and install LibreOffice 3.5 will solve the problem. I got this problem when saved a file in LibreOffice 3.5 in Mac and attemped to open it in Ubuntu.

Ruby and Ruby on Rails Resources

Ruby Programming Language is a dynamic, open source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write. Ruby was first designed and developed by Yukihiro Matsumoto (a.k.a. Matz), a Japanese computer scientist and software programmer, in the mid-1990s in Japan.

Ruby on Rails (RoR) is an open-source web framework using Ruby programming language. Ruby on Rails released as open source by David Heinemeier Hansson, Danish programmer, in July 2004. Like many web frameworks, Ruby on Rails uses a variant of the Model/View/Controller (MVC) architecture pattern to organize application programming. As of March, 2012, there are more than 200,000 sites using Ruby on Rails per BuiltWith.com

Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide

Ruby in Twenty Minutes

Coursera.org: Software Engineering for Software as a Service

Stanford Open Class Room: Web Application

RubyGems.org is the Ruby community's gem hosting service.

RubyForge is a home for open source Ruby projects

The Pragmatic Bookshelf | Learn to Program

Learn Code The Hard Way

Ruby Tutorials for Beginners

http://rubylearning.com/

RubyMonk - Interactive ruby tutorials to learn Ruby

Rails 3 screencasts

Free episodes from RailsCasts.com

Ruby Koans

Upgrade to Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot)

I upgraded my Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal to Ubuntu 11.10 beta 2, code name Oneiric Ocelot, on Oct. 12, before official release few days. Here are my own experience:

1. Make sure you know the admin password for PhpMyAdmin, if installed, before you upgrade. I forgot this password and it took me almost half hour to get out the infinite loop :(
2. An hour for download and another hour to install.
3. Remote desktop 'tsclient' was removed. Used 'RDesktop' or 'Remmina' instead. After using Remmina Remote Desktop client, I liked it. It's better than 'tsclient'
4. Somehow the trash icon in launchpad associated with VLC media. Uninstalled VLC resolve this issue.

How to upgrade VirtualBox 4.0.12 to 4.1.4 on Ubuntu 11.04

Oracle released VirtualBox 4.1.4, a maintenance release of VirtualBox 4.1 which improves stability and fixes regressions, on Oct 3rd, 2011. Using 'sudo apt-get update' and 'sudo apt-get upgrade' will not upgrade your Oracle VirtualBox (https://www.virtualbox.org/) from 4.0.12 to 4.14. To upgrade:

1. Backup your virtual machine by press <ctrl>-E to export appliance
2. Go to Ubuntu Software Center to uninstall current version
3. Install new version Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.1.4
4. Install Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack
5. Run virtual machine and apply new version of Oracle VM VirtualBox Guest Addition 4.1.4r74291

Is Free Software Open Source?

No. Some software or applications are free to use but they are not open source. For example, Microsoft Security Essentials is free to use on licensed Microsoft Windows operating system but you can not get the source code. LibreOffice is the power-packed free and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux. You can download LibreOffice's source code to look at, modify, build and run.

The Open Source Definition:
1. Free Redistribution
2. Source Code
3. Derived Works
4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code
5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
7. Distribution of License
8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral

Upgrade to Eclipse Indigo (3.7) from Eclipse Helios (3.6) on Ubuntu 11.04

I'm using Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers to develop Android applications on Ubuntu Linux 11.04. The latest version Eclipse in Ubuntu Software Center is Galileo (3.5). To install or upgrade new version of Eclipse IDE:
1. Download 64-bit Linux package from Eclipse.org. Please select the approriate version for your machine: Mac OS, MS Windows, 32-bit, 64-bit.
2. Extract the downloaded zip file: eclipse-jee-indigo-linux-gtk-x86_64.tar.gz
3. Rename Eclipse folder in my home directory to Eclipse-Helios
4. Move the Eclipse folder from Downloads directory to home folder.
5. Re-install ADT Plugin for Eclipse Indigo (3.7)
6. After Eclipse restart, check, and enjoy new version Eclipse

Install WordPress 3.1.3 on Ubuntu 11.04

WordPress is web application you can use to create a beautiful blog or website. This is an open source software. You can get it free at http://wordpress.org/download/ . Before you install WordPress on Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal), make sure you already install on your Linux machine: Apache, MySQL and PHP (LAMP).

1. Unzip wordpress-3.1.3.zip to a specified.

2. Make the virtual path for Apache web server:
sudo gedit /etc/apache2/httpd.conf
add a new line:
Alias /wordpress /home/yourusername/wordpress
and
restart sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

3. Type http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/readme.html on your browser to read some instruction.

4. Create MySQL database and user for WordPress

mysql -u root -p
mysql> use mysql;
mysql> create database wordpress;
mysql> INSERT INTO user (Host,User,Password) VALUES('localhost','wpuser',PASSWORD('wppass'));
mysql> grant all privileges on wordpress.* to wpuser@localhost;
mysql> flush privileges;
mysql> exit;

5. chmod -c 777 -R ~/wordpress

6. Type http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-admin/install.php to install.
If you got this error message: "Error establishing a database connection", make sure user name and password are correct. It took me almost an hour to figure it out. For some reason, my MySQL password for wpuser@localhost is empty instead of a specified password that I set when I create a MySQL user account.