Lijamez's Blog

Installing eeebuntu 1.0 on an Asus Eee PC 701SD

lijamez — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:14:33 +0000

A friend lent me her Eee PC for a few days so I can replace the default Xandros with Ubuntu. Because this install isn’t for me, I’d like to make this setup the least painful as possible to use. After much experimenting with booting without a disc and fiddling with the tiny hardware, I have found the way to install a pretty good setup. In this noob-friendly guide I will walk you through how to install a distribution of eeebuntu and set it up so that all hardware works (more or less).

Before we start let’s take a look at the specs of the Asus Eee PC 701SD:

900MHz Intel Celeron-M
512MB DDR2 RAM
8GB Solid State Drive
Intel GMA 900 Graphics
Realtek Wifi
Attansic LAN

Preparation

To install eeebuntu, you will need either a external disc drive, a 1GB+ flash drive, or a 1GB+ SD card. In this guide I used an SD card but instructions will be similar if you use a flash drive. I don’t have an external disc drive but I guess you would just burn the eeebuntu ISO to a disc.

First, you will need to grab a eeebuntu ISO. You can choose from the standard edition which features the desktop that we all know and love or netbook remix which has the Xandros interface. Whichever you choose, install steps will still be the same.

While the ISO is downloading, get UNetbootin which will “burn” the iso to your SD card or flash drive and make it bootable. UNetbootin is available for Windows and Linux. I will use the Windows version.

Also, you might as well head on over to array.org to fetch some kernel modules to get WiFi working. As of writing, eeebuntu is at 1.0 which is based upon Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. In this case, you’ll want to click “Hardy” and then click on “Use Alternate Install Method” to see the two packages that you must get. They should be linux-image-*.deb and linux-ubuntu-modules-*.deb. Save these somewhere; you’ll need them later.

When the eeebuntu ISO has finished downloading open up UNetbootin and choose the eeebuntu ISO and the SD card drive or flash drive you like to get it “burned” into. You might also want to format the drive just in case…

If you have any space left on your install medium then you might as well drop the two deb files you got from array.org inside.

We are done the preparation. Let’s move onto the eee…

Installation

Assuming you are ready to say goodbye to Xandros, put in the install medium and power the machine up. During its boot, repeatedly press ESC to launch its boot menu. Choose which drive you’d like to boot. Since I used an SD card, I would choose the card reader.

At this point, you should be in the eeebuntu boot menu. Choose the install option and follow directions. I decided to wipe the entire SSD.

Post-Install

USB/SD Mounting

Upon boot, chances are that SD cards and/or flash drives won’t mount properly. To fix this, fire up a terminal and enter:

sudo gedit /etc/fstab

Comment out the last line by adding a # as the first character in that line. That line may look something like this:

/dev/sdc1 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec 0 0

Save and then plug in an SD card or USB flash drive to see it work.

Networking

You may have noticed by now that neither WiFi nor LAN is working. Many guides on the internet say that, these instructions are for eee 1000+ models and totally neglect the 701SD. This is what caused me to despair for several days because I couldn’t find another solution. Anyways, remember those two deb files you downloaded? Copy them over to your home directory and launch the terminal and install them:

sudo dpkg -i linux-image-*.deb linux-ubuntu-modules-*.deb

Of course, you’ll need to replace the above file names with the actual file names. Let it install and then restart. WiFi should now be working.

Adding the array.org repository

Go to array.org’s install instructions for your version of eeebuntu. Click your version of ubuntu (if you are using eeebuntu 1.0 then click on “Hardy”). Follow instructions from “Setup the Repository” to the first step of “Uninstall the Generic Kernel (Optional)” inclusive.

For example, for me I ran the following in the terminal:

wget http://www.array.org/ubuntu/array-hardy.list

sudo mv -v array-hardy.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

wget http://www.array.org/ubuntu/array-apt-key.asc

sudo apt-key add array-apt-key.asc

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linux-eeepc

Reboot.

sudo apt-get remove linux-generic linux-image-generic linux-restricted-modules-generic

Done.

Post-Installation Scripts

A fresh eeebuntu install contains a few scripts that you may wish to run. They are located at /eeebuntu/scripts/. Open up a terminal there and do the following:

sudo ./config.sh
sudo ./config-gnome.sh

This will get a few things working, including the webcam.

Shutdown

If your Eee is not shutting down properly (ie. The LEDs are not turning off when it appears to have powered off) then apply the following quick fix:

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/halt

Add the following to the beginning of the file:

rmmod snd-hda-intel

Save and now it should shut down properly.

Caveats

Pressing Fn+F2, which should normally toggle wireless, will toggle wireless and freeze eeebuntu. If you accidentally press it and the whole OS hangs, then do a hard reboot. Once you start eeebuntu again, your wireless won’t be working. Press Fn+F2 again. eeebuntu should not hang when attempting to enable wireless, but it wont work immediately. To make eeebuntu recognize that the wireless is enabled, do another reboot. Clearly, trying to disable wireless using this method yields no benefit. Just don’t do it.

I have tested suspend a few times and it seems to work fine except the volume applet crashes consistently when resuming. Fortunately, it will ask if you’d like to reload it automatically.

Graphics

Compiz is enabled by default and it works smoothly. I haven’t tested second monitor support since I don’t have a VGA cable lying around.

Battery

On a full charge, the battery applet reports that it will last about 2 hours. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be normal for a little thing like this.

Conclusion

Figuring out the networking was the most headache inducing task. Once everything is set up, eeebuntu works nicely, although there are still a few flaws and inconveniences, which is slightly disappointing especially for a distribution that is tailored for Eee PCs. eeebuntu comes with a few apps preinstalled that are not found in an out of the box install of Ubuntu like aMSN, Conduit, AWN, and quite a bit more. Out of the 8GB in the SSD, you might have about only half of it left by now so consider uninstalling some packages.

References: array.org, eeebuntu Forums, eeebuntu Easy Installation Guide, Eee User Forums

Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex Experience on a Macbook 2,1

lijamez — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:04:44 +0000

Fresh out of the oven, I test the latest offering from Canonical, Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex, on my Macbook 2,1. Currently, I dedicate 32GB of my hard drive to Windows with Boot Camp. Because Wubi for some reason does not work in boot camp, and Disk Utility was being rather wonky, I will sacrifice my whole hard drive to test this release.

Macbook2,1 Specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz (2x 512MB)
120 GB Hitachi Hard Drive
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N (LG DVD Drive)
Intel GMA 950 Graphics
Atheros Wi-Fi
Intel HD Audio
Apple Bluetooth

Additional Hardware:

Samsung SyncMaster 225BW External Monitor

This experiment aims to determine the level of hardware compatibility of Ubuntu on the 2nd generation Macbook and not necessarily provide a general review. I will also make comparisons of this release with my Hardy Heron experience post.

LiveCD Impressions

: Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex Desktop

Intrepid Ibex sports a shinier interface than Hardy Heron. Some noticeable differences include the slightly tweaked interface in the menus and a new progress bar.

The LiveCD detected my 1280 x 800 resolution properly when the laptop was not connected to an external monitor. When Ubuntu booted with the external monitor, it used 1024 x 768 mirrored on both screens.

Installation

Pre-Install Note: If you have OSX and plan to single boot Ubuntu, then change the startup chime to something acceptable by changing the volume inside OSX before you wipe it. It will be impossible to change the chime volume without OSX.

For some reason, Ubuntu 8.10 sometimes does not boot after an install with complete wipe of the hard drive. Upon boot, I have seen the dreaded flashing question mark folder numerous times. After many failed attempts, I think I figured out a way to a proper install. (This procedure is for a single boot Ubuntu.)

Install Ubuntu by inserting the disc and holding the C key as the Macbook boots.
Do a regular install, wiping the hard drive along with OSX.
At this point if after the reboot Ubuntu runs, then good for you. Otherwise, insert your Mac OSX disc and reboot your computer holding down the C key again.
Once you are inside the OSX install, click Utilities and then choose Terminal.
Type “diskutil list” to list the partitions that you have on your hard drive. Look for your Ubuntu partition which may look something like disk0s1. (Diskutil may report this partition with the name, “Microsoft” something)
We will “bless” the Ubuntu partition so that it boots by invoking the command “bless –device /dev/disk0s1 –setBoot –legacy –verbose” where disk0s1 is your Ubuntu partition.
Restart your computer without the OSX disc. Ubuntu should start up. (Let me know if this doesn’t work!)

Strangely, I noticed that during the install process the map for the time zone sometimes behaves rather erradically in this release and I had a little bit of difficulty choosing my city on the map. Other than that, installation goes as swimmingly as before except now we are greeted with shiny partition bars. Yum.

Also, I noticed that the “Migrate documents and settings” features actually recognizes my Windows XP for once!

Wireless

Thanks to the included Atheros driver, the Macbook’s wireless chipset is now automatically recognized and functioning. This removes one of the biggest annoyances of setting up Ubuntu on this computer. Mad props to Canonical and Atheros.

Trackpad

Two finger scrolling does not work by default although the right hand side of the tackpad serves as the scrolling area. Because there is no default two finger tap support and there is no secondary button on the trackpad, you will have to tap the bottom right corner to right click. (This setting is a little finicky. Keep trying until you manage to right click.)

This page has the solution. Put the code inside a file called anything you like with the extension fdi (e.g. appletouch.fdi) and place it inside /etc/hal/fdi/policy. You’ll need to do a full reboot for these settings to take effect.



  
    
      
        synaptics
        true
        false
        false
        true
        true
        false
        false
        false
        false
        1
        3
        2
        1
        1
        3
        2

The setting still produces common accidental clicks as you move the cursor. To work around this, keep reading.

You should also notice that the trackpad requires a little more pressure from the finger to move the cursor. This may be fixed by installing gSynaptics (or “Touchpad” from Add/Remove).

sudo apt-get install gsynaptics

Once that is installed, go to System > Preferences > Touchpad. Set the sensitivity to whatever you wish. (Mine is at almost max.) While you are here, you should also probably change the tapping time under the “Tapping” tab to something very low so that you don’t accidentally click while moving the mouse.

If anyone has a more OSX-like setting such as one including drag-lock, please share. I know they’re out there.

Keyboard

The keys with lights (num lock, caps lock) no longer light on, but still functions. I still haven’t figured out a way to type with the numpad.

Pressing the function keys will change brightness, volume, etc. Fn + Function key will invoke the actual F1, F2, F3… keys with the exception of F11 and F12 keys. F12 invokes a right click and F11 types out previously existing text (don’t ask!). (Thanks, Tomas for pointing this out.) It looks like some keyboard problems, including the eject key, can be solved by installing pommed. (Thanks, Cybik.)

sudo apt-get install pommed

To get the LED lights working, simply uninstall mouseemu.

sudo apt-get remove mouseemu

Once mouseemu is removed, you’ll notice that the LEDs work, but none of your other keys are responding. A restart is all that’s needed at this point. (Thanks, AlesFlowers.)

Graphics/Display

The Intel GMA 950 works fine out of the box.

Monitor positioning in the “Screen Resolution” app actually works now and so do dual monitors!

External monitor still doesn’t work properly by itself with the laptop screen turned off as evidenced here.

When the display changes brightness (such as when the computer is left idle), the screen should turn down the brightness. In 8.04, this worked wonderfully with a smooth transition. In 8.10, it appears jerky.

iSight

Does not work out of the box. Refer to the community documentation.

Sound and Microphone

Speakers seemed very quiet even when at max volume but after some random tweaking, I found that you should unmute only and adjust the Surround volume to what sounds the most natural. My Surround setting is at maximum.

The built in microphone does not seem to work out of the box.

Other

Bluetooth

Bluetooth appears to work out of the box.

Battery

It still feels like the battery is being drained faster than OSX.

Hard Drive

The load and unload cycles for my hard drive is quite high. If you would like to check yours, follow these instructions (taken from here).

sudo aptitude install smartmontools
sudo smartctl -H /dev/sda
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda | grep Load_Cycle_Count

In the reported line, take a look at the last number. Check how much it increases in some length of time and calculate, given that rate, how many cycles will occur in one day or one hour. The ideal rate is 90 or less cycles per day. I get about 21 cycles per 10 minutes (or 126 per hour or 3024 in a day)!

Because the hard drive is a very mechanical component, parking and unparking can deteriorate it. A hard drive is meant to last about a certain number of total cycles. Here is the bug report.

On that blog post, there is more information about the load/unload cycles bug and an “ugly fix” which lets you sacrifice battery life and hard drive protection from sudden movements for a longer hard drive life.

(Thanks, AlesFlowers for the heads up on this issue.)

There is a fix which can reduce the number of cycles. Simply open up /etc/default/acpi-support

sudo gedit /etc/default/acpi-support

Change the value of ENABLE_LAPTOP_MODE to true. (Thanks, Mikkel.)

Etc.

Suspend now works perfectly.

Hibernate sort of worked. When hibernating it doesn’t actually shut the computer down so I had to use the power button. It restored from hibernation properly though.

There is a bug with the Screenshot Utility when Compiz is running and there exists a window close effect. The utility takes the screenshot immediately as it closes so it will capture its own window as it is fading out. Workaround: Set the delay to at least one second.

Finally, flash installs inside Firefox properly!

The Macbook generates quite a bit of extra heat in Ubuntu. I’ll see if there is a solution to this.

Conclusion

Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex has slightly improved 2nd generation Macbook support with the inclusion of Atheros Wifi drivers, and proper dual monitor support. Things that still dont work properly out of the box include better trackpad support, dedicated external monitor support, and volume controls. It feels more polished than Hardy Heron, but it for some reason introduces a numerous new bugs (e.g. no LED on caps/num lock keys, numpad no longer works, eject key no longer works, flickering display brightness) which is disappointing. Thankfully, many of these problems can be remedied. Slight hardware and configuration issues aside, after using it for a few days it really does feel more polished than before.

If you would like to tinker some more so that Ubuntu feels more like a Mac then consider taking a look at this article.

References: “How to single boot Linux without delay on Macbook” post, Community Ubuntu Macbook Documentation, Ubuntu Demon’s Blog

Review: iPhone 3G FM Transmitter + Car Charger

lijamez — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:20:24 +0000

This item appears to be a fairly new product from Hong Kong since I’ve only recently found it on eBay. You can find it there for about $20 and I’ve seen this product in the mall for $45! After a long shipping time I finally received it.

Here is what I have to say…

iPhone 3G FM Transmitter Specifications

SPECIFICATION:

Mini FM transmitter with LCD display
Compatible with all iPods, as well as iPhone, iPhone 3G
Receiver sensitivity: < -80dBm (Per 1%)
Signal noise ratio (SNR>68DB)
Frequency: 87.6~107.9MHz, 0.1 MHz / step
Power from iPod & iPhone
Distance: 33ft (in open space)
Operating temp & Humidity: 14~122 F.O ~98%
Work current: 25mA
Voltage: 3.3V

iPhone 3G, iPhone, Touch, Nano, Classic, Nano3

This particular kit claims to be compatible with the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, Classic, and 3rd Generation Nano. It may be compatible with other iPods but I haven’t tested them. I have, however, tested it on the iPhone 3G and 3rd Generation Nano. Although, if it works on the 3rd generation nanos then I fully expect that it would also work for other iPods that are not listed here. (Where’s the 2nd generation nano?)

Car Charger, FM Transmitter, USB Connector

The dimensions of the transmitter is roughly 3.7 x 3.1 x 0.9 cm and is fairly large compared to some of the other transmitters from HK. Because it is so wide, it may not plug in with some iPhone cases (such as my Griffin Elan Form). It’s one of the prettier looking transmitters and you can tell that this particular one is designed with the iPhone in mind with black front and a chrome edge.

Playing some music.

An extra bonus regarding this kit is that the car charger is actually a USB port which theoretically means it will charge any device that can get its juice via USB like a PSP Slim, GPS, other mp3 player, etc. Unfortunately, the charger’s contacts aren’t very good as it frequently disconnects as you move it around.

I also tried to charge with the transmitter at home using Apple’s tiny USB adapter overnight. Strangely, my iPhone would indicate that it is charging, but it’s really not! I left the phone “charging” at almost full power and in the morning my it was on the brink of death.

When inserted, the transmitter feels good but slightly flimsy. The face of the transmitter is slightly higher than the iPhone’s screen and the bottom of the transmitter is much higher than the iPhone’s back. I can also tell how cheap the plastic feels by simply squeezing it lightly; it makes a clicking sound as if something is snapping into place.

In my first test in a stationary car, the sound quality is quite good. I have tried another transmitter from Hong Kong and it is very obvious that it has a lot of dead spots. You have to spend some time adjusting its location and angle to get the best sound. For this transmitter, the signal is very good and you hear little fuzz regardless of where it is in the car.

My second test was in the same car, but moving. I heard a light fuzz in the background and the signal quality wasn’t as good anymore as there were some angles and locations where the audio quality was poor. At that time, I received a call and to my disappointment, I found out that calls cannot be transmitted. To make or receive calls you will have to use the phone’s internal speaker to listen to the other side. I suppose this is a good thing if you are concerned about eavesdropping.

The LCD screen lights up when plugged in.

You use the buttons on the right side to change frequencies. Strangely, the above specifications sat that its frequency ranges from 87.6 – 107.9 MHz but I could only adjust it from 88.1 – 107.9 MHz.

Because the transmitter uses the iPhone battery, it does not require any. You charge the iPhone using the transmitter’s connector port at the bottom. I wonder then how fast does the battery drain without being charged?

For a $20 transmitter, this is actually a really good deal. It includes a generic USB car charger so you can charge more than just your iThing and the sound quality is generally clear. The equipment probably isn’t made from the best materials but it’s good enough and the car charger’s contacts disconnect as it is moved inside the socket. Overall, this is a solid product that you can get for a good deal.

iPhone 2.1

lijamez — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:25:08 +0000

iPhone 2.0 users rejoice! The firmware that Steve Jobs claims to fix numerous problems I have mentioned before including unstable apps and faster backups. In addition to these fixes, Steve claims that 2.1 will also lengthen battery life and drop fewer calls. If this firmware version actually fixes everything, then I will be a very happy iPhone 3G owner (as opposed to just moderately happy). Who knows what else was snuck in that Steve didn’t mention?

The download weighs in at 238 MB which can be acquired through iTunes. After the download completes, prepare to wait for your (hopefully) final tedious backup.

Grab a cup of coffee.

Let’s recall what Steve Jobs promised during the September keynote:

“Fewer call drops”
“Significantly improved battery life”
“Fixed a lot of bugs where if you have a lot of apps on the phone, you’re not going to get some of the crashes”
“Backing up to iTunes is dramatically faster”
“Great new performance enhancements”

Some things that I’ve noticed so far in 2.1:

New 3G and EDGE icon
Genius
The icons of updated apps stay in their previous location
Faster Contacts loading
Much faster and more stable app install/uninstalls
No more SMS keyboard lag
Quick backups.
App space meter in iTunes
Songs show artist and album name
Triple clicking the button on the headset goes back one song. (Yes!)
Partially watched/listened podcast indicator
Double-tapping the empty area in the album tracks view takes you back to the album art.
Safari still crashes very frequently when music is playing.

Although I haven’t noticed a significant battery life improvement, this update really does fulfill its promises and fixes most of my requests. Awesome

Free iPhone Apps: The Keepers

lijamez — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:32:34 +0000

If you have been having as much as I have wih the iPhone apps, then there is no doubt that you’ve come across numerous apps that deserve no more than a few launches. After a few weeks of looking for the best iPhone apps, here are some that I found are genuinely awesome (in roughly the order of appearance on my phone).

This article will be constantly updated as I find more great apps.

Palringo [iTunes Link]
As of the time of writing, this is the only free IM app on the store and it works pretty decently. Its interface is slightly cluttered and you need to make a special Palringo account to use it, but once it’s set up it’s a good app.
See also: Meebo (Web App), IM+

1Password [iTunes Link]

I own the 1Password application for Mac and syncing my data between the computer and the phone is seamless. Setup is easy, interface is beautiful, and overall, really handy. As far as I know, you don’t need the paid desktop version to use the iPhone app.

Facebook [iTunes Link]

I have this app for one feature only: mobile picture uploading. Everything else is just icing on the cake. If you don’t need a dedicated facebook app, then you may be interested in just Facebook’s mobile site.

Twitterific [iTunes Link]

The ubiquitous twitter client sports a really clean interface plus a ton of integrated features.

Remote [iTunes Link]

Even though I don’t need to use a remote for my iTunes library that desperately, this app’s installation simplicity and concept makes it a keeper just in case.

Last.fm [iTunes Link]

Last.fm is really handy when you finally become tired of your 16gb of music. I just wish there is a scrobbling feature like from the jailbroken days. (And yes, I am aware that Apple won’t allow background processes.) You’ll need a free Last.fm account first.
See also: Seeqpod (Web App)

Shazam [iTunes Link]

Shazam uses the microphone to record a sample of some music and identifies it for you. The coolness of this app and potential handiness makes it a keeper.
See also: Midomi

Evernote [iTunes Link]

The iPhone app lets you take text, picture, and voice notes and sync with the desktop version of Evernote. Free Evernote accounts have a 40MB limit but that should be plenty for text notes.
See also: YouNote

Movies [iTunes Link]

Possibly the most feature packed movies app I’ve seen so far. Movies shows you upcoming and current movies, theatres near you, newly released DVDs, and more. It even plays trailers!
See also: Showtimes

Zenbe Lists [iTunes Link]

A simple but elegant list app that syncs with Zenbe online.

weDict [iTunes Link]

For some reason, the app store of weDict is not as polished as its jailbroken precedessor, but the basic features are there. By default, it includes the Wordnet 2.0 and English Chinese dictionaries. More dictionaries are available via jailbreak.

Urbanspoon [iTunes Link]

Urbanspoon is a really nifty app (that actually works in Canada) that locates you and finds the restaurants near you based upon your preferences.

LocateMe [iTunes Link]

This little gem finds your location and lets you see a bunch of points of interest including banks, gas stations, hotels, movie theatres, restaurants, supermarkets, and a lot more. Its results are from Google so entries include the address and phone number which you can easily use to map or call.

WordPress [iTunes Link]

Could be handy if you have a WordPress blog! There are no formatting options so its features are rather limited, but it does allow picture insertion.

Wikipanion [iTunes Link]

A simple and elegant Wikipedia application that optimizes Wikipedia entries for the iPhone screen.

Radiolicious [iTunes Link ]

FlyCast streams internet radio and podcasts. The streams are optimized for Wifi/3G and EDGE.
See Also: FlyCast Mobile

iVote [iTunes Link]

A fun little app which lets iPhone users from around the word voice their opinion on different subjects.

a2z Pro [iTunes Link]

A simple but effective unit converter.

Tap Tap Revenge [iTunes Link]

Tap Tap is a music rhythm game where you have to tap or shake according to the “notes” that appear on the screen. Somewhat similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Aurora Feint [iTunes Link]

A very polished puzzle game with RPG elements. It’s rather intense on the battery but still highly recommended.

Sol Free [iTunes Link]

Sol Free is an amazingly polished solitaire game. Currently, it includes the following games: Baker’s Game, Demon, Klondike Deal 1 and 3, and Spiderette.

So that’s it! If you feel that you have a better free alternative, feel free to leave a comment.

Scramboni [iTunes Link]

Scramboni is a really entertaining multiplayer word descrambling game.

Conway’s Game of Life in C++

lijamez — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:38:51 +0000

A (rather crude) version of the Game of Life written in C++. You’ll need to compile it.

View the Source

Basic Compilation of a C++ Program

lijamez — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:27:09 +0000

If you are using Mac OSX or Linux, go to the folder where your cpp file is located in the terminal. On windows, you will need to install g++.

Assuming your source file is called main.app, and you want your output file to be called “hellos” then type the following:

g++ -o hellos main.cpp

To run it:

./hellos

Note: It is possible to compile the program without specifying the output file name but it will default to “a.out”:

g++ main.cpp

Additional compiler options can be found here.

From Java to C++: Similarities and Differences

lijamez — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:16:13 +0000

After some fiddling with XCode and C++, I finally got it compiling my Hello World. To my pleasure, the syntax in C++ is somewhat similar with Java, but there are still many differences.

In Java, to start a class we use:

public class fileName
{

}

In a command line C++ program, the following lines are needed:

#include
using namespace std;

iostream is needed for input and output, std is needed for basic functions like cout. Some online tutorials use #include but apparently it’s deprecated.

The standard structure of a main method is:

int main () {

//Neat stuff goes here
return 0;

}

Printing

To print something, use “cout” (console output?) with the insertion operator “<<” like this:

cout << “Hellos!\n”;

int a = 1;
int b = 2;
int c = a + b;
cout << “Some variable: ” << c << “\n” ; //Prints c
cout << “Some variable: ” << a+b << endl ; //Prints the same as above

The “\n” is needed to start a new line. This replaces System.out.println and System.out.print in Java. Alternatively, you can also use “endl” (end line).

The syntax for variable declarations are identical to Java with one small exception:

string a = “Feed me”; //OK
string a (“Feed me”); //OK, Identical to the line above.

Arrays

Java:

int[] myArray1 = new int[5];
int[][] myArray2 = new int[5][6];

C++:

int myArray1 [5];
int myArray2 [5][6];

Variables

Now this is pretty cool. When assigning a value to a variable, we can use a literal constant, an octal (base value, or a hex (base 16) value.

int a = 123; //Literal constant
a = 0173; //Octal (Start the variable with a 0)
a = 0×7b; //Hex (Start the variable with 0x)

Floating point numbers:

double a = 3.141592654
a = 6.02e23 //OK

Constants:

final int myVar = 100; //Java

const int myVar = 100; //C++

User Input

Use cin. Here is an example.

#include
using namespace std;

int main () {
int i;
cout << “Enter a value…”;
cin >> i;
cout << “The value you entered is ” << i;
return 0;
}

Notice the use of the extraction operator “>>”. The line “cin >> i” takes the user input and stores it in the variable “i”. If the user enters a string instead of an integer, the program will not behave as you would expect. In Java, it will simply blow up. Also, the program will take whatever the user types up to a space, a tab, or a new line. Everything after these will be ignored unless you specifically store them in another variable. So, if a user enters a string which could possibly be composed of more than one word, it would be better to use the getline function.

The getline function works like this:

#include
using namespace std;

int main () {
string i;
cout << “Enter a sentence…\n”;
getline (cin, i);
cout << “You said: ” << i;
return 0;
}

And its output may look something like this:

Enter a sentence…
C++ Rocks!
You said: C++ Rocks!

Control Structures

If, while, do while, and for statements are identical to Java.

Functions

Because C++ has a 1-pass compiler, any additional functions (a.k.a. “methods” in Java) must be declared before the main function.

For example, this will work:

#include
using namespace std;

int addition (int a, int b)
{
int r;
r=a+b;
return (r);
}

int main ()
{
int z;
z = addition (5,3);
cout << “The result is “ << z;
return 0;
}

And this will not:

#include
using namespace std;

int addition (int a, int b)
{
int r;
r=a+b;
return (r);
}

int main ()
{
int z;
z = addition (5,3);
cout << “The result is “ << z;
return 0;
}

Classes

A piece of sample code:

#include
using namespace std;

class Point {
int x, y;
public:
Point (int, int);
void setPoint(int, int);
void printPoint() {
cout << “( ” << x << ” , ” << y << ” )” << endl;
}
};

Point::Point (int a, int b) {
x = a;
y = b;
}

void Point::setPoint(int a, int b) {
x = a;
y = b;
}

int main() {

Point foo(1,2);
foo.printPoint();
return 0;
}

This piece of code has an object with a constructor, two functions, and the main method creates one instance of the object.

iPhone 3G Speed Test

lijamez — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:02:22 +0000

With all of the complaints about the speed of 3G, I decided to measure the time it takes to load a websitee myself. I am in Canada, so my carrier is Rogers Wireless. All of my tests are at full signal (3 arcs for WiFi and 5 bars for 3G and EDGE.) Between each of my trials, I open a new tab, close the old one, and clear Mobile Safari’s history, cookies, and cache.

Video and results in the full article.

Results:

WiFi: 21s
3G: 33s
EDGE: 52s

Although 3G isn’t quite “twice as fast” as Apple advertises, it’s nothing to file a lawsuit over. Perhaps it’s the carrier’s problem? (It’s not exactly “half the price” either but that’s a different story.)

Quizzicle: A Java Math Quiz Generator

lijamez — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:34:40 +0000

Here is a quick Java application I whipped up. Quizzicle is a command line application that generates random math equations. You can choose an arithmetic operation, the number of questions, the number of digits in the question, and if negative numbers or zeros are allowed. Javadoc included.