Installing Drupal in Windows using XAMP

Installation can be done following combined instructions in the following two pages
http://drupal.org/documentation/install/windows
http://drupal.org/node/307956

or simply follow the steps which I used (following the above two pages)

Install & Setup XAMPP

1.  Download the latest version of XAMPP and install it on your C:\ (or main) drive.
2. It works better when you install directly to C:\, rather than the Program Files directory.
3.  For XAMPP to function properly, make sure you have Skype turned off, or alternatively in Skype go to Tools > Options > Advanced > Connections > Uncheck "Use port 80 and 443 as alternatives for incoming connections".
4. Start Apache (Web server) and MySQL (database server) services from the XAMPP control panel.
5. Test your XAMPP installation by opening the web browser and typing http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1 in the address box.
6. Run XAMPP services (Apache or Drupal. Once the XAMPP page appears, go to the language section on the lefthand side under Sprachen and select English.
7. Go to Tools on the lefthand side and click on phpMyAdmin. Create a new database called Drupal: under MySQL Connection Collation, select utf8 unicode. Under Create New Database, type in drupal.
8. Once you get the message “database drupal has been created”, close phpMyAdmin.
9. Set your password for MySQL for the “root” user. Open your web browser, go to http://localhost/security. Scroll down and select http://localhost/security/xamppsecurity.php. Once the security consoles opens, type in your password and click the Password Changing button.
10. Restart MySQL in the control panel by clicking the Stop butting next to MySQL, then the Start button again.

Download & Install Drupal

1. Download the latest recommended version of Drupal. Save the download in C:\xampp\htdocs.
2. When you unzip the download of Drupal, it will probably create a directory called "drupal-6.17" (or whatever the latest version of Drupal is). Possibly rename this directory to "drupal", so you can access your local Drupal install at http://localhost/drupal.
3. In a web browser, go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin. If you set a password, log in with "root" and the password you chose. 
4. Copy & paste the file "default.settings.php" in "c:\xampp\htdocs\drupal\sites\default", under the drupal directory, and name it "settings.php".
5. You should now have two identical files in your "c:\xampp\htdocs\drupal\sites\default" folder -- one called "settings.php" and one called "default.settings.php".
6. Browse to http://localhost/drupal/install.php and follow the instructions it gives. For the database information, use what you set up in step 7 of Install & Setup XAMPP
7. Follow steps in this page (http://drupal.org/documentation/install/run-script) 
8. Never forget to set the settings.php as read-only (right click and click on properties, enable read only button)
9. If you make manual changes to the settings.php file later, be sure to protect it again after making your modifications.
   Failure to remove write permissions to that file is a security risk.

Rain water harvesting

Rain water harvesting is the good thing that we are doing to ourself and our children. We make water percolate into earth making water table to raise, you know we also eradicate stagnant water in this process, its not a joke, in our apartment (at Virugambakkam, kaliamman Koil Street) water will get logged during rains and takes days to get drained (literally evaporated and spilled out into gutters). This year one of the apartment owner has taken steps to construct water harvesting pit and connection to central drainage system - which made our lives happier even during the heavy rains.

Go through the attached new article released in The Hindu at 3rd page of 15th Nov, 2010 (courtesy - the Hindu)

Intalling Postgres, Apache and PHP in Kubuntu (Linux)

Download Software's:

Download source archive files of PostgreSQL, Apache and PHP from respective project sites. Currently supported versions are given as reference. Take the latest point release (denoted as x below) from the sites:
1. http://www.postgresql.org/ftp/source/v8.4.4/postgresql-8.4.4.tar.bz2
2. http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi#apache22
3. http://in2.php.net/get/php-5.3.3.tar.bz2/from/a/mirror (if this download is not found go to http://in2.php.net/downloads.php and click on the latest version to download)

Postgresql

1. tar xvjf postgresql-8.4.4.tar.bz2
2. cd postgresql-8.4.4/
3.a. su (i.e change to super use)
b. apt-get install tcl
c. apt-get install tcl-dev
d. ./configure --with-tcl
4. make
5. make install
6. mkdir /usr/local/pgsql/data
7. chown postgres:postgres /usr/local/pgsql/data/
8. su postgres
9. /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb -D /usr/local/pgsql/data/
10. /usr/local/pgsql/bin/pg_ctl -D /usr/local/pgsql/data start&
11. /usr/local/pgsql/bin/psql template1
12. exit (from db)
13. a. /usr/local/pgsql/bin/createuser leatherlink
b. exit as postgres user
14. cp contrib/start-scripts/linux /etc/init.d/postgresql
15. chmod a+x /etc/init.d/postgresql
16. /etc/init.d/postgresql restart
17. nano /home/leatherlink/.bashrc
export PATH=/usr/local/pgsql/bin:$PATH
18. psql template1
CREATE DATABASE leatherlinkdb;
\c leatherlinkdb
CREATE LANGUAGE plpgsql;
CREATE LANGUAGE pltcl;
\q


Apache:

1. cd
2. tar xvjf httpd-2.2.xx.tar.bz2
3. cd httpd-2.2.xx/
4. ./configure –enable-so
5. make
6. a. su
b. make install
7. /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl start
8. /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl stop
9. cp /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl /etc/init.d/httpd
10. /etc/init.d/httpd restart

PHP

1. cd
2. tar xvjf php-5.3.2.tar.bz2
3. cd php-5.3.2/
4. a. apt-get install libxml2-dev
b. apt-get install openssl
apt-get install libcurl4-openssl-dev
(http://linux.goeszen.com/missing-openssl-evp-hmac.html)
c. ./configure –with-pgsql –with-apxs2=/usr/local/apache2/bin/apxs –with-curl=/usr –enable-calendar –with-curl –enable-dba –enable-ftp –with-zlib-dir –enable-soap –with-regex=php –with-openssl –enable-bcmath
5. make
6. a. su
b. make install
7. cp php.ini-development /usr/local/lib/php.ini
8. /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf

SetHandler application/x-httpd-php


SetHandler application/x-httpd-php-source

AllowOverride All
9. /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl restart

Firefox - Multiple Profiles in Linux

Why Do you need multiple profile?

I want to use the same computer and browser to see my two email accounts(!) of same provider (say google), or I want to browse to live and testing applications (with code and db in same location) - I cannot use the same browser with same profile either one has to be logged out

Solution - multiple profiles :-)

Create New Profile:

Open konsole or the Run Command and type

firefox -P profile_name -no-remote

find the following pop up, where click on create new profile and type the name of new profile (if have already created one profile just click on it to open the same

Firefox Speed Up

• Open Firefox

• Type about:config in the address(url) bar, Hey I am warned, just by following your words (are you getting the following warning!)

Just click "I'll be careful, I promise" (friend you are going to follow my words, don't worry try it)

Use the Filter Bar to search the following and double click on the row

Search and change default value by double click
Type	Preference Name	Default Value
Boolean	network.http.pipelining	TRUE
Boolean	network.http.pipelining.maxrequests	8
Boolean	network.http.proxy.pipelining	TRUE

Create by right click
Type	Preference Name	Default Value
Boolean	network.http.pipelining.firstrequest	TRUE
Integer	nglayout.initialpaint.delay	0
Integer	content.notify.interval	0

.

Now restart your browser and realise the speed (Amazing, Right!)

Open Office Speed up

Yes, we have the problem of open office taking its own time to load. here is how you can overcome this problem (no doubt you require atleast 1GB RAM for better performances)

Make more spaces for faster working

1. Reduce no. of steps of undo (only a developer needs more steps to be enabled for undo, he/she too need that in any text editor not in office tool)
   
2. Allocate more cache memory for better performance
3. Remove java run time environment

See the pictures how it was before and how it is made to speed up the working
open any open office application - oowriter, oocalc, ooimpress etc
Menu: Tools > Options

This shall changed as follows

Don't forget to uncheck " use java runtime enviironment"

Now enjoy the faster working environment in open office

coutesy: ghacks

My French Learning 4 - numbers

Bonjour Madnmozalle!!! Bonjour Madame!! Bonjour Mosuer!

Pagdoneg!, Commet ali vu?

Merci bukku

Now we will see the numbers as spelled in French (courtesy Mr Nabeel, who taught it orally and about.com, where I found the numbers with sound)

Learn how to count in French - click on the links to hear each number pronounced in French. French numbers 0 to 19 are pretty easy - it's just a matter of memorization.

0 zéro
1 un
2 deux
3 trois
4 quatre
5 cinq
6 six
7 sept
8 huit
9 neuf
10 dix

11 onze
12 douze
13 treize
14 quatorze
15 quinze
16 seize
17 dix-sept
18 dix-huit
19 dix-neuf