Saturday, May 25, 2013

org-mode says: Warning: Bug in outline-mode: it forgets to call `run-mode-hooks'

Warning: Bug in outline-mode: it forgets to call `run-mode-hooks'
I just encountered this error when visiting a .org file and finding I was in outline-mode.
No changes to any of my init files...  M-x org-mode gave the same error.
In aquamacs 2.4, I found that if I opened a remote file using tramp, and then open an org file either locally or remotely, org mode will fail to start.  If I restart the org mode, aquamacs will report that certain features from outline mode are missing.
The problem can be fixed if one reload the outline library again by hand using M-x load-library: outline, and then restart org mode.
It always happens when tramp is loaded before the org-mode. If a org file is opened before tramp, then subsequent tramp does not break the org mode.
So, there's the cause:
  • Calling tramp before org-mode
    (apparently only loads certain pieces of code that makes org-mode think outline is loaded, though it isn't)
And the solution:
  • M-x load-library outline
  • M-x org-mode,  or normal-mode,  or visit the .org file again
Is it fixed in later tramp / orgmode / aquamacs distribution ?

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Comparing computer benchmarks

[this post was previously mangled into markup garbage somehow.]

Get the geekbench program--
this will give you some kind of performance number for your laptop/desktop/server:
http://www.primatelabs.com/geekbench/

Also you can view results others have posted here:  http://browser.primatelabs.com/
(search by model, processor type, etc. and view the range of results expected.

This type of metric is much more meaningful for comparisons than 'GigaHertz' -- processor speed.
Going simply by CPU speed is like comparing a sports car to a semi-trailer truck.
Your specific needs will depend on whether you just want to get somewhere fast, or have a lot of stuff to haul.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

tab sweep, 2012.01.22 part 1

I had the idea of doing a tab sweep before I ever heard it called that, but having found this name, I might as well use it.  Sharing is better than not (unless it's crap(), links are the spider silk that holds the web together, and writing a one-line review will help me remember it better than simply adding it to another bookmark folder etc.  And it may inspire some discussion and knowledge sharing, or at least serendipitous clicking...

  • http://www.codemaps.org/ -- apparently has been around for a couple years; there are some diagrams of open source packages like Lucene... okay, on closer look it appears this is mostly(?) advertisement for an eclipse plugin from Architexa that does UML diagramming for mostly java.  Which is fine.  But like other academic spin-offs, it is unclear how much backing and (business) drive behind, balanced against how much more useful it might be if it were given away, and how much more it might be adopted.
    And the related business issues:  "How do we make money if we give it away?"  ".. but then N-times more people will use it, a small portion will result in sales/licensing/training/customization" etc.
    There is some paper on something called 'codemaps' that might be a visual studio plugin..
    As with mindmaps, UML diagrams seem to have a useful life only during part of the learning curve; after you are familiar enough with the terrain, the map is no longer useful.  Or you need a different, showing different information, at different scales.
    I am also interest in 'active' maps -- I'm not sure I've seen a UML diagram displaying runtime activity or stats, except maybe special purpose in some academic papers.
    For UML diagramming while learning code / class relationships and similarities,
    ArgoUML is pretty nice.  Read in your source files and then you can drag-n-drop classes of interest and it automatically adds the relationships.  Hmm..  how to handle updates?
    UMLGraph is free and can be automated; there is an ant task that can add diagrams to your javadoc too, but since it's really a diagram specification, and GraphViz handles the drawing, it is not tied to any language or tools or formats..

    I like the concept of being able to 'visualize software' but haven't seen the magic bullet yet..
  • Tracking the Trackers: Where Everybody Knows Your Username from Stanford Law School
    not particularly new for me, because I have been at one of the top online ad companies, and took part in design of a project that would receive user info from the ISP (income, demographic profiles) and join it with other information providers than had credit scores, household buying info, etc.
    There are a number of links and tools there to follow, and also a well-described methodology.  I am somewhat inspired against to work on a rule-based rewriting proxy that can persist my browsing history or be use for spidering / heuristic search, and also answer / collect info on topics like
     - how many sites use X (where X is some package, framework, software version, hosting provider, technology feature, etc.)
     - what ad networks does this site use, and the reverse query
     - what is this cookie format?  how is it decoded?  and, (if multiple users shared this) how does it vary per user?  can it be hacked?
     - how often is this (html) tag actually used?  who uses it (a package, a tool generator, a design firm)? 
     - trend analysis (when did this term first appear / reach some threshold), latent semantic tools
     - general IR capabilities, because information is easier to retrieve when you have information.

    Something like muffin (a customizable proxy with plugin architecture), db storage, a simple rule base handles a lot of this..
.. that was only like 2.5 tabs I had; to be continued.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

NeoOffice / OpenOffice "Error saving the document " -- Can't save file!

You've been working on your document, maybe go away for a while, come back and realize you haven't saved it.  But when you try to save,
an error dialog comes up saying "Write Error", with no additional information...

You try changing the file name, saving to a different directory, checking disk space..  everything looks fine, but it won't save.  What to do?  Quit it, and have faith that the 'Recover files' dialog will bring it back?
Copy your document, or at least the changes (f you can), into textedit or another program?

To encounter this situation is disconcerting, to say the least.

After a little searching,
NeoOffice bug #
http://bugzilla.neooffice.org/bug.php?op=show&amp;bugid=3293<br>

Easy solution:
from the existing document,
select all and copy
cmd-N (or on windows: ctrl-N) to make a new window.
paste -- you now have a copy of your document.
Save this new one.

For me, these errors happened after starting NeoOffice a few days ago (12) and then deciding to save some 'untitled' documents I had created and entered minor amounts of data/text into. &nbsp;They hadn't been saved previously, and had been opened for several days. &nbsp;The bug says this:

"The key thing to do to avoid this bug is to not keep and .od* document
open for more than a day or two. If you periodically save a file, close
it, and reopen it, you can avoid this bug."

Another note is "Update: in this instance, with Writer giving the error, I was able to Save As in ANY format EXCEPT .sxw, .stw, .odt, and .ott."

Another link mentions something about tmp files, which on the mac seem to be somewhere under a path like&nbsp;
$ set | grep /var/folder
TMPDIR=/var/folders/GX/GXRi3TKjExSdAlvXgP45k++++TI/-Tmp-/
some OS cleanup process could be removing files from here. &nbsp;
I've not tried tracing the process&nbsp;(ptrace/strace)&nbsp;since I have a workaround, but it seems plausible enough.

apparently this has been going onsince 2006:
http://openoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=69993<br>

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Selling your old electronics

Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBaseThis is something I really never consider, while I have some friends that do it regularly, always upgrading / buying new devices.

My reasons not to:
  • lazy
  • seems like too much trouble
  • it works now, why bother?
  • it's too much trouble to change
  • I guess I am content "enough" -- I don't have device lust, and seem to care less and less about new things coming out.
  • not spending money == good.
Sounds like good reasons to me. On the other hand, if you've "gotten your money's worth" (for some value of worth), and the device still has market value.

But enough about me.

I came across this (old) random article "Where to Sell Your iPhone 3G: ", which had like to a number of sites. Check out my iPhone 3G, now over 3 years old...

parameters: near perfect condition, no scratches, all accessories +
  • http://www.selliphoneforcash.com/ - $103
  • http://www.buybackworld.com/ - $104
  • http://cexchange.com/online/home/index.rails - $97 or $115 if I call it excellent..
  • http://takemymac.com/ -- too many questions.. ok, should get email in 48hours
  • http://www.techtwurl.com/ - $110
  • http://www.yourenew.com/ - 85$
Note that all of these (except for the first?) deal with other devices besides just iPhones.

For those that think trading in your old thing for something newer is green, or trading in your land boat for a Prius or other hybrid -- it's not. It takes a huge amount of energy to create those new devices. You won't get to the break-even point until you drive 100000 miles or so.

Of course, re-use is better than re-cycle, is better than throwing away,
but how do we get closer to understanding the true cost/value of a thing ?

.. testing zemanta..
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