Current musing:

Using contenteditable to test css page layouts

This should be obvious, but I just realized that one could use the the HTML5 contenteditable feature to test page layouts. “Contenteditable” is a fancy little tag attribute that allows the user to edit the content contained in the element from the browser.

For example, Read more…

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How to install adobe Fireworks 8 from the Studio 8 CD on Ubuntu

My Mac is in the shop having a logic board replaced and I desperately need to work on some fireworks 8 files I have backed up. So… here’s how to get fireworks 8 running on your Ubuntu Linux system, using the Studio 8 install CD.

This solution also solves the problem I and a few other have gotten when trying to run Wine on .exe files on a cd. Wine gives a “Module not found” error which apparently means that the file is not executable by the current user. Hence the chmod command in the instructions.

Disclaimer: I’m using the Alpha Version of Hardy Heron, but this should work with anything.
I’m also running Wine version 0.9.57 which is just the default Hardy Version. You MUST have Wine for this to work.

Step 1: make a directory in your home folder called “studio8″

Step 2: Next open a terminal and run the following commands:
note that the sudo command will ask you for your password. supply it when prompted.
sudo cp -r /cdrom/* ~/studio8/
sudo chmod -R 777 ~/studio8
wine ~/studio8/fscommand/fw_client_installer.exe

Step 3: Follow the instructions and you should be good to go.


How to convert wma and publisher files to something usable

This post will (hopefully) save someone else the time I’ve wasted looking for a way to convert pesky Microsoft files into something useful for my Mac and Ubuntu Linux machines.

How to convert WMA files in Ubuntu Linux: Online Tool

After hours of searching and experimenting with different programs and scripts, I finally got smart and searched for online  conversion tools.  There are several, but the one I used is media-convert.com. It’s ugly and ad ridden, but it works like a charm and converted my 56 minute WMA file into a an MP3 file without a hitch. I could have converted to WAV, MP4, or just about anything else had I so desired.

No need for new codecs, or pain-in-the-neck command line scripts. Just a simple upload and a voila!

How to convert MS Publisher files into PDFs: Online Tool

People often send me MS Publisher files. This program is a blight in the world of desktop publishing, I know, but the average user doesn’t know this. Nor does the average user know how to export publisher files into other formats that Mac or Linux users can view.

Enter pdfonline.com. Upload your .pub file and a few seconds later a pretty pdf of the file is in your email inbox. I’m sure there are other tools, but this one did the trick for me, and the whole point of this post is to save time. You can’t edit it, but you can at least see it, and that is usually all I need to do. If anyone knows of a way to convert MS Publisher files into an editable format online then post it in the comments.


Changing default programs in Ubuntu

These will work for dapper and edgy

1. For Media Insertion events

System > Preferences > Removable Drives and Media

Examples:

  • To make F-Spot default import program enter following into command line under digital camera
    “f-spot-import %h”
  • To make amarok play cd’s automatically:
    “f-spot –cdplay %d”

It should go without saying that you must have F-Spot and Amarok installed before this will work.

2. For File Types

In Nautalis (places):
Rght click on file > properties > Open With tab
Then select preferred program in list.