Monthly Archives: November 2008

No virtualbox kernel driver after kernel upgrade

After kernel upgrade, your VirtualBox modules will not be updated.
As a result, your virtual machines will not work.
Here is a quick fix. Run this in your terminal:

Java is unable to print to CUPS printers

If you’re using a CUPS printer on Ubunutu (or other linux distro) you may not print from Java.
There is a quick fix taken from here.
Add an /etc/cups/client.conf file containing:

Terminator – nice multi terminal application for Linux

Hi folks!

I’ve been using Terminator for quite a long time now and I find it very usefull.

Install it in Ubuntu by running:

There is a feature I would like to see in the future releases: saving the layout of the window or maybe a way to start the application with the predefined number of tabs.

Cannot use USB devices on Virtualbox 2 in Intrepid

There is a quick fix if you get some USB related errors when opening Preferences in Virtualbox 2.
You only have to add these lines in your /etc/fstab file:

Nokia N73 synchronization with opensync under Ubuntu 8.04

Yeap, Nokia N73 is a great phone and the N-Series PC Suite looks very nice.
But if you are using Linux, you can’t use the Windows PC Suite. Don’t hurry to fire up a Virtualbox or VMWare machine running Winblows just for that. My guess is is that if you are using an USB cable, it won’t work.
But the good news is that you can use OpenSync to synchronize your Nokia Symbian based phone, with your Evolution (Calendar, Tasks and Contacts) and/or with Google Calendar.
OpenSync act as an mediator between to entity to be synchronized, mapping the data between the entities types and synchronizing when possible the records exchanged, in case of conflict the standard behavior is to prompt the user for correction/decision.

I will explain the steps to you need to follow to sync a Nokia N73 (or any Symbian based phone) with Linux (I used Ubuntu 8.04), via bluetooth. Many credits going to Nailor which posted a nice guide on Ubuntu Forums.
1. Install the needed packages:

2. Configure msynctool:
You can configure opensync via a graphical interface using multisync-qad (using similiar settings as below) or you can use command line. Guide below is for commandline.

Add plugins to group. If you get errors, they are propably due to missing plugins so check you’ve installed all required plugins.

Next is the ‘trickiest’ part. Installed plugins need to be configured. First, you have to find your phone’s MAC. Use hcitool to do that:

It should return something like:

Now, configure the syncml-obex-client:

Replace the context of the configuration (should be open in separate editor after running previous command) with the following XML:

To find out what bluetooth_channel to use, run:

and look for SyncMLClient:

After configuring the syncml-obex-client it’s time to configure evo2-sync. Open configuration file with command:

It should look like this, so you don’t need to modify it:

4. Sync!
You should be good to go now, so you should try synchronizing:

Ubuntu 8.10 on Lenovo ThinkPad T61

Just installed Ubuntu 8.10 on my T61. Works great!
I hated that bloated Vista Business!

Items that work out of the box:
– Nvidia: 2D works, 3D requires the installation of the proprietary drivers (nVidia Quadro NVS 140)
– Wireless: Atheros card
– Bluetooth keys
– Brightness keys
– Network Card Intel 10/100/1000
– Firewire
– Wireless switch
– 4-in-1 card reader

Worked with some simple tweaking:
– fingerprint reader for login and sudo

1. Install latest thinkfinger packages:

2. Update the pam configuration files:

3. Restart computer
4. Enroll your fingerprint (creates $HOME/.thinkfinger.bir)

5. Check fingerprint enrollment