Curiouser and curiouser!

(Solved) vnc4server on Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot)

divya — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:16:16 +0000

Im posting this because I spent a lot of time trying multiple things to get vnc4server up and going on the Ubuntu 11.1 system. Most people suggest using x11vnc, which does work out of the box but does not support multiple users.

vnc4server is great, and up and running finally!

Here are the steps:

Install vnc4server
- ```
sudo apt-get install vnc4server
```

Install gdm
- ```
sudo apt-get install gdm
sudo apt-get install gnome-panel
```
  - When asked to choose the default session manager, choose lightdm

When you launch vnc4server for the first time, you will be asked to set a password and a /home//.vnc/xstartup will be created for you.
We need to change the contents of xstartup to get things working properly.

Contents should look like this:

#!/bin/sh
# Uncomment the following two lines for normal desktop:
unset SESSION_MANAGER
unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS
#exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
#. /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
gnome-session  --session=gnome-classic &
[ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] && exec /etc/vnc/xstartup
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
vncconfig -iconic &
#x-terminal-emulator -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
#x-window-manager &

What’s changed and is important is this:

unset SESSION_MANAGER : Gets rid of any errors like “Coud not acquire name on session bus “
/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions will have a bunch of .session files. You may use any of these in your xstartup file. For example:
- gnome-session –session=gnome-classic & gives your classic gnome
- gnome-session –session=ubuntu-2d & gives you Unity
- gnome-session –session=ubuntu & does not work!
- gnome-session & will not work because the default session is “ubuntu”

Crossroads

divya — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:00:09 +0000

Standing at life’s crossroads,
A triad of directions to stare
The right, the wrong, and the duty
A dilemma of choices unfair?
Paths cross, roads meet…
While a dawdling thought trickles
How did I land here? I wonder,
I was only running in circles.

A mind defeated and conquered?
A mind that fails to see?
A mind simply blindfolded,
By the heart’s own joy and glee?
Adorned in shimmer a starry sky,
Calls out with its brightest star,
One moment I soar to reach for it,
One moment it seems so far.

Juniper, rose, lavender and pine,
Life’s potpourri in a crystal bowl,
Blues, greens, with thoughts and dreams,
Graffiti on an empty wall.
Countless questions that linger
From the heart to the mind to the soul;
The excuse, the account, the answer,
Crossroads demand it all.

A Romantic Confabulation

divya — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:17:34 +0000

This is what happens when two poets chat, yes this was a chat conversation between me and a friend! Im naming the characters as Christine and Raoul after “Phantom of the Opera” and saving this amazingly poetic conversation that sounds so much like its straight of the play.

Raoul: how have you been my love

Christine: very good, and how have you been my lovely love

Raoul: i’ve been happy, but I’ve missed you sorely

Christine: why so?

Raoul: but now that you’re here, my heart is full of cheer,

and I don’t need to fear, all that’s new to me

cos you”ll be by my side, and i’ll be by yours too

one step at a time, loving naturally

Christine: Oh my darling, you’re so dear,

So far away, yet so near…

Your love to me is crystal clear…

In a special way, my life you steer…

Raoul: i’m glad I’ve been your guide, in the special way you know..

but in guiding you i’ve fallen, for you’re loving tender glow…

I try to touch your face, when you come into my dreams,

but all I hear is your whisper, telling me you love me…

i wish you were here, oh how i madly wish you were here!

Christine: To listen to this, my ears have longed…

Your love so gentle, yet so strong…

I can hear you whisper silently,

And you visit me in most special dreams…

Your touch can spin my life around,

your voice fills my life with musical sounds..

Come to me and forever stay..

In every breath Ill sweep you away…

Raoul: swept away, im swept away,

and I cannot bear the burden no more,

i’m coming, i’m on my way and when I reach,i’ll forever stay..

and in your loving embrace , live or die, a beautiful promise of a wonderful life…

i’ll hold you close and closer still…and only my heart beating hear you will..

to tenderly reassure and keep you safe..close to me..forever, now..and forever more…

Christine: Oh my life has blossomed now..

Like roses and tulips I smile away…

As you enter my life like a shiny beam,

I pinch myself to make sure its not a dream…

Its not a dream, I say to myself…

And from today, life’s going to go so swell…

A knight has come to rescue me,

With a shining armor and a sword so keen..

As I ride along with him by me..

Into heavenly bliss I break free…

Revelation

divya — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:47:01 +0000

A dream unfolds, of stories untold

Brightness, that golden luster.

For a moment I am blinded

Freezing my thoughts, calming my soul.

Slowly, gently – the luminosity unfolds

the mystic world in its nutshell,

Of a choir of golden voices,

Of webbed patterns in neon brights,

Of angels guided in musical bliss,

An epitome of synchronicity.

The brilliance spreads out in ripples

As I make my first contact

With this world I dreamed of

My mind is pure and peaceful

As I break contact from the outside

To reconnect with myself

In a sway and a trip and a twirl and a whirl

I dance my heart out

While my body and soul unite

To become what really is me.

Solitary circumstances

divya — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:50:36 +0000

Solitary circumstances,

Gushing into a stream.

Sedate fading chances,

Mutations of the dream.

Sanguine once, ripe cherry red

Turning rusty and brittle..

Thickened by emotion my zestful blood

Stays still, strained into a trickle.

Countless questions ringing again

A pandemonium of sorts..

Rage, doubt, jolts and the rain

A rhapsody in parts.

Starry eyed, crystal clear,

Once inviting and enticing

Starry eyed, crystal clear,

Departing and deserting.

A daily dose of ecstasy

divya — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:04:00 +0000

Life’s strange
People come and people go
some stay.
Making their place in every corner
Unforgettable
Blending in your life,
They become your defining color
Absorbed in your veins
Dictating a flow
Slowly seeping
A subtle feeling
Bit by bit
Changing you.
Like a dose of nicotine
making a place in that stream
Like the smell of fresh coffee
for a good day’s beginning
Like the breeze against your face
reviving a lost smile
Like the tune of your best song
to put your day to an end
When the mask strains
and the world drains
All you need is
that daily dose of ecstasy.

Google Directory – Redefining search

divya — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:22:51 +0000

Internet has changed the course of things drastically in the 21st century. With all the information explosion that has occurred due the booming of the internet, there is just so much out there to know and learn. In a way libraries of yesterday have lost importance in today’s world. The internet has successfully replaced all prior sources of information to human beings and established a monopoly of sorts. While there are many aspects in which the internet has affected our lives, we will concentrate on the “information” part for now. There is so much information and data out there, but how does one find it?

Enter Google.

It’s alright to say that internet without Google wouldn’t be that big a deal after all. We have this powerful search engine at our disposal and “searching” about anything just is a matter of seconds. Again when it comes to Google, there are numerous ways in which it has become an unavoidable part of our lives with maps, youtube etc. But again, lets not deviate and stick to “Search”. There are two parts to searching. The first part is played by Google and they are doing a good job by indexing all this wealth of information so that we search it quickly. The second part is where the ball is in our court. Its a fact that not all people know how to use Google to its best. They just don’t know how to search for information in the right way. Knowing that Google is capable of indexing only 3-4% of the information lying out there in spite of being so good, it just makes the scene petty if we can’t find the best links about what we are looking for.

Enter Google. Again.

This time its “Google Directory”. http://directory.google.com/ is the best thing on the web that I recently came across. This was what we needed. A yellow pages for the web. Now a novice doesn’t need to know all the flashy google tricks find data. Google Directory categorizes data in a very clean manner with subcategories and finally the page that displays results – sorted by pagerank. Now that’s something eh! Since I am into computer science, this link blew me off. Then I played around with it and browsed through other categories and it was perfect. Google is just not finding, but finding the right things.

Technology is advancing, though I’m not sure if it is inversely affecting our grey matter!

Eye-Candy for your Ubuntu installation

divya — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:53:29 +0000

With a little bit of time and effort, you can make your Ubuntu installation look jazzier than any operating system installation. The new look is a refreshing change over the boring brown wallapapers that Ubuntu ships by default.

So lets start with a default Ubuntu installation… Lets call him Insipid Ibex

Insipid Ibex

Step 1… Open a terminal and run

sudo apt-get install ubuntustudio-look

Once done, click on System->Preferences->Appearance and select the UbuntuStudio theme. Also change the wallpaper to the UbuntuStudio wallpaper… and here you go… Haikarrramba!

Interesting Ibex!

Much better eh?

Step 2… Now lets get a MAC like dock for it. Open a terminal and run

sudo apt-get install avant-window-navigator

Step 3… As if this is not overwhelming enough for such little effort lets add more to the show…
Pick out an icon set for yourself by visiting this link. My personal favorite is “Black White 2 Gloss”

Black White 2 Gloss Iconset

Here’s how Ubuntu will look once you install them.. Killer aye?

Interesting Ibex - New icons

Step 4… Time to spice up the terminal. Open a terminal and goto Edit->Profiles. Edit the Default profile or create a new profile. Change the text and background colors. I prefer the text to be blue to match the Studio look and the background to be black. Now make the background transparent and set the level of transparency to what you wish and watch the terminal turn into a rockstar!

Rockstar terminal

Step 5… Improve usability by installing the Google Gnome Menu File Browser Applet . With this applet you can browser the home folder right from your menubar. This saves a lotta time!

Menu File Browser Applet

If this is not enough go ahead and install compiz fusion and you can do a lot more fun stuff. If you’re a geek, it’ll irritate you in 48 hours… If you’re not you’ll hang on to it for a while. But it doesn’t hurt to try it out!

So here a few simple things we did to give Ubuntu a fresh look! Wow.

Alternate forms of happiness

divya — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:32:03 +0000

Alternate forms of happiness
In the winter chill
In nature’s ultimate skill
In a free fall thrill
And a dollar bill

Alternate forms of happiness
In the mad house in town
In the pretty new black gown
When you’re up and down
With a shiny broken crown

Alternate forms of happiness
In the chirpy talk talk talk
And the fluttery dancy walk
Behold the slender stalk
Right now, Cease the squawk

Alternate forms of happiness
In dreams and the nightly tale
Under the soft silk veil
And the tunnel on the trail
And a pink glass of ale

The new macbook

divya — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:14:51 +0000

Owning a Macbook is just a lot of fun. Its this amazing thing that you can flaunt away! But today I am jealous because Apple just went ahead and released the new Macbook which I must say is the best piece of engineering I have ever seen. So lets go over the features…

First, this time the entire body, which Apple calls “Unibody” has been made from a single block of Aluminium. Much lighter and classy.

Second, the screen this time is LCD and it looks exactly like the iphone display. Totally rocks!

Now the best part is that they got rid of the mousepad buttons and the mousepad itself is a button…Also, the macbook now has NVidia integrated graphics to for graphic rendering.

Watch the video here and be amazed. And I want to buy one of those soon!