Although there are many advantages to installing Mezzanine using Python’s virtual environment, I decided against it. I already have Django installed on Apache using mod_wsgi, so my Ubuntu install is already primed. Although I followed the basic steps as discussed in a previous post (Setting up Django with Apache and mod_wsgi on Ubuntu 11.10), there were a bit more steps involved with setting up Mezzanine – especially as it relates to how and where to serve static files.
I beginning a new project where I decided to use Django. I briefly worked with Django for an embedded device over two years ago. Now I am creating a full-fledged web application using Django and jQuery.
When setting up Django, I initially followed the tutorials on djangobook.com. While the site is a good starting point for learning Django, it lacks some details, especially as it relates to serving static files (css, js, etc.) while using the development server. After struggling with the display of my css files, I decided to use Apache instead of the development server. After all, the development server will not be used in production, so I would rather duplicate a production environment as much as possible. In my opinion, the primary reason for using the development server is for debugging, but so far, I have found that Apache’s error log has been pretty good.
I have nearly completed my new portfolio site. I developed the Flash Movie on my Windows machine, but the rest of the development (Joomla, etc) has been done on my Ubuntu box. I’m using ActionScript’s ExternalInterface Class for this project. During integration, I learned that the Javascript code on Linux is a bit different than the code needed for Windows.
I’m redesigning my portfolio site and decided to use Joomla. I just installed it on my Ubuntu box. It wasn’t difficult, but it could have been easier.
First I downloaded Joomla from here. I had the option of download a nightly build, but I wanted the latest stable version.
For some reason that I still have not been able to determine, I can no longer open Aptana Studio on my Ubuntu box. The splash screen displays, then nothing. Aptana closes. No error. No nothing. I think it has something to do with the JRE and/or XULRunner versions. Not sure. I used it one day, but couldn’t use it the next.
I have been upgrading an web application for a client. I initially created the application using a custom php framework – spliced together however awkwardly, but it worked. In version 2, I included YUI 2.8, but have been using the same backend.
The site is nearly complete (ajax functionality, and database development), I decided that I needed a more structured php framework. I chose CakePHP primarily because I could bake the models, views, and controllers. With only 17 tables, The application is not very large, but the thought of creating models, views, and controllers for 17 tables did not sound exciting.
I could not bake on my Mac. I got an error, “Call to undefined function mysql_connect()”. I searched for hours trying to figure out why I was receiving the error, but to no avail. I think that I need to re-install PHP. Not going to happen. I instead decided to setup Cake on my Ubuntu box (See my post: Setting Ubuntu For Web Development).
After installing CakePHP on my Ubuntu box, I viewed the default home page in my browser and noticed that the page was not styled. Cake did not know the path to the CSS file because I had not enabled mod_rewrite. Although I could opt to setup CakePHP to work without mod_rewrite, I decided to enable it.
I have used Dreamweaver on my PC for many years. I think that it is the best IDE on the market. Why? Because both novice and seasoned web developers can use the same tool. And both will find it beneficial.
That being said, when I began to use my Mac for web development, I did not want to dish out the bucks for Dreamweaver, so I started using Aptana Studio.
I was moving deeply into Ajax development and I like the fact that Aptana Studio had built in support for many Javascript Frameworks (JQuery, YUI, Dojo, etc).
I also am a PHP developer, so Aptana Studio’s built in support for PHP was also a consideration. I’ve used this IDE when developing with CakePHP and CodeIgniter.
More recently, I have used Aptana Studio on my Ubuntu box while doing Django development (see my post: Setting Up Ubuntu For Web Development).
So what is your favorite IDE and Why?
I was working on a project where I needed Helvetica fonts on my Ubuntu box. Helvetica fonts are on my mac, but stored in a .dfont file (System/Library/Fonts). First I copied the Helvetica.font to my Ubuntu box (I placed them in my home directory). I then installed Fondu.
sudo apt-get install fondu |
Now navigate to where you copied the .dfont file and enter:
fondu Helvetica.dfont |
The dfont file will be converted to .ttf files. Depending on the font type, this will create multiple .ttf files.
Now you can move the .ttf files into the font directory (/usr/share/fonts/truetype).
This was not as easy as I thought. I opened the file browser and tried to copy/paste the fonts into the fonts directory, but I received a permission denied error because I was not root.
Open terminal (Application->Accessories->Terminal).
gksu nautilus /usr/share/fonts/truetype |
Using ‘gksu’ will open the file browser with root privileges. Now open another file browser to the location where you copied your fonts to:
gksu nautilus /home/les/ |
Now both are opened with root privileges. Now just drag/drop the files into the font directory.
Note: You may have to create a folder with the font name first. If you only have a single font file, then you can just copy it into the Truetype directory (or the appropriate directory – opentype, etc). If you have multiple font files (Helvetica.ttf, HelveticaBold.ttf, etc), then you should first create a folder named helvetica under the TrueType folder and then copy all helvetica files under the helvetica directory.
That’s it.
