Here is a great way to preserve bash history between sessions and reboots so you have access to them for a fair amount of time.

export HISTCONTROL=erasedups
export HISTSIZE=10000
shopt -s histappend

The first one will remove duplicates from the history (when a new item is added). For example imagine the number of history spots taken up by ls. Not very useful.

The second one increase the history size. With duplicates erased, the history already holds a lot more actual information, but I still like to increase it from the default.

The third line ensures that when you exit a shell, the history from that session is appended to ~/.bash_history. Without this, you might very well lose the history of entire sessions (rather weird that this is not enabled by default).

Here is a good read about Google advertising results overwhelming organic results in vertical local spaces.

http://www.seobook.com/excuse-me-where-did-googles-organic-search-results-go

I’ve been planning to migrate to my new server for months now and it had been pending forever for several odd reasons. I finally have it up and running and the blog has been migrated so its almost fully functional. Some  bits are still missing however this will get time as and when I find time.

Highlights of the migration

• New RAID 6 server so my data is secure.
• Centralized LDAP Authentication system. No duplicate/multiple registration.
• Email. Yay! I finally I have own email and don’t need to rely on Google or anyone else.
• Space.  This is relative to my old server. Currently This is at 2TB after RAID but there is provisioning for a lot more.

Its been a few months since my first look at Android. Since then I’ve had a chance to play with more of the finer details of how this OS works. And I’m very impressed with the direction it is taking.

First things first, living with the google stock image was good. But using a modded image takes this device to the next level. A rooted phone gives you access to some of the best apps I’m using the legendary CyanogenMod image that is based of the Cupcake 1.5 image and boasts massive optimization to give your phone some serious oomph.

Overall Android works very well. As a phone, it is easy and intuitive, everything is laid out well and should be a breeze for even dumbphone users. As a smartphone, the modded image provides almost anything that any other OS has to offer. Multi-touch, MS Exchange, WPA enterprise, wifi tethering (genius) among others make the package complete. Apps like Google Voice, Sherpa and Locale make everyday use of the phone just brilliant. Heck, I can even get turn-by-turn directions using CoPilot for just $35, which is a bargain considering a standalone one runs you around $100 or more.

Downsides. The one that bugs me the most is the lack of a better phone. I like the physical keyboard on my G1 but I’d be willing to use the soft-keyboard for a lighter smaller phone with a better battery life. Can’t wait for Rachael. However, this isn’t an OS issue. There are some issues with speed in certain areas. For example, switching orientation from portrait to landscape or back has a clear 4 second hang time. The touch screen sometimes isn’t responsive (again not sure if this is software or hardware). Apps like CoPilot or other more CPU intensive ones run sluggish on the G1 (maybe newer faster processors could fix this).  While there are plenty of good apps in the market, there are certain areas where it is lacking. For example, the best task manager in the market is TasKiller, which is far from being perfect. T

The market search is terrible. Search is bad on a google OS? How does that make any sense? They are a search company! What is worse is that there isn’t a good website either to compensate for this. For example, a market website that lists all market apps, which can be searched and sorted by ratings or downloads (overall, month, week etc), post comments, links to developer site and other such info (Hint: Firefox addons).

I see Android as being well poised to challenge the market. Should keep things fresh and interesting as the competition heats up

We are expecting baby two. And its a girl. Pictures to be up soon. Due Dec 12ish.

Apple may be slowly driving away its customer base by controlling its app store check-ins. The latest reject is Google Voice. Two clear reasons for this. One its an app by a competing phone OS and two AT&T would have twisted Apple’s arm (though it wouldn’t really need to) so its keeps its revenues where it belongs.

However, unlike the desktop/laptop OS’s where Apple can be rigid about policies, the phone market isn’t where Apple can afford to keep up with these nuisances. For one, this market segment has much more competition. Also, things can change quickly with a year or two. There is a minor wow-factor with the iPhone but that is quickly fading with better Andriod sets coming out and Palm, Mircrosoft among others pushing their own OS’s which are just as competive.

I’m gonna start posting mini thoughts rather than full size posts. More twitterish but here since I dislike twitter.

After much deliberation I finally picked up an HTC G1 android phone. A month into using it, my first impressions are GOOD.

I was a Sony Ericsson (not smartphone) user for a long time. I tried various other models and none seemed to match up to the Sony Ericsson in terms of usability. I think the interface was simple, placement of menu items was very intuitive and in general just easy to use.

The Android OS does just that. Everything is laid out in easy to read, intuitive places, Menu options are short and do not overwhelm. Enabling and disabling services is easy.

Most of the things I dislike about Android aren’t really the OS’s fault. It is the HTC G1. It is big and bulky, feels cheap and just lacking glam. However, the OS isn’t without its flaws. Considering it is currently at 1.5 I understand it has plenty of time to develop. However

* There is no support for WPA-Enterprise. The browser doesn’t support bookmarklets. I think these and others like these are basic functionality and needs to be addressed.

* The menu button provides additional options for the app or the OS in general. For one, this isn’t intuitive. Moreover, the options are still very basic. Furthermore, the options cannot be user configured. For example, if you are using the browser and want to go to the home page, you need to click Menu -> More -> Home page. If I want Home page to show on the main menu, there is no way to do this.

* The battery like is terrible. Not the OS fault but it contributes. Backgrounding processes keeps them running and keeps the battery draining. I’m not a fan of push notifications really, but something needs to be done.

* Wifi pickup is weak. Don’t know what the cause is but at coffee shops where my laptop works fine, the G1 doesn’t pick up the SSID or picks it up briefly then drops.

There are tons of other minor things but I suppose those exist with every phone out there.

It’s not all grey. As a smartphone, Android is great. It’s interface is clean. The usability is great. Most apps in the market are free and good. There are tons of those great little features that I really like and make the phone fun to use.

Overall, I’m sticking with it. Since I haven’t used the IPhone intensely, this won’t be a shootout. But I dislike the way Apple arm-wrestles the market, the apps, and its users and I don’t want any part of that.

Finally, one thing to point out is I’m using the G1 with no data plan. While most people I met say this defeats the purpose, I disagree strongly. Wifi is predominant in most places and increasing daily. Besides the two places I spend most of my time has wireless access. So I don’t miss out on anything.

Overall rating 3.5 stars.

I’ve been looking for a solution to make my music portable. I’m slowly converting all my CD’s to mp3/flac to have them available in digital format. However, I find there aren’t many choices when it comes to media servers out there. Most web based players have one inherent problem. Everyone has a specific preference when it comes to music player (either because of ease of use or user interface or preferences it offers) and hence the web-based players need to replicate that functionality. This makes no sense since the players are already there. All you need to do is provide a protocol for the players to access that music.

Looking out for pure media servers, I found Firefly Media Server. Compared to some others I tested, I found Firefly very easy to install and configure. It is very basic in what it offers and that probably its beauty. Since most of the complicated stuff should be left to the player itself, all it needs to do is serve the music is a reliable way. Using DAAP protocol, I can connect using a variety of players to access my music. Players could be desktop based or web-based and gives you plenty of options. There is even a DAAP client for the iphone (though not very good).

I currently use Songbird with Sonbird DAAP Plugin to access all my music. I’ve also set up a server side frontend to the server so I can access my music when I don’t have my client of choice with me. I’m very pleased with how this has turned out. My main concern with the setup is DAAP isn’t a widely used protocol. So for example, I can’t use it to stream music directly from the receiver. Also, there aren’t other hardware devices that can do this either (Roku probably is one that supports this).

Overall, Firefly media server get an enthusiastic thumbs up.

I recently discovered portable apps. And I couldn’t be happier. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is precisely what the name suggests. Applications written with portability in mind. You can copy the app to your USB drive and move it to another PC and there you have it; setup exactly the way you want it, all set to go. I’ve spent hours working on other people’s PC, downloading stuff I need, configuring, setting everything up and then having to clean up everything when I’m done. No more. Just plugin a USB drive, everything is all set and ready to fire. Firefox alone, with addons saves me tons of time. Better yet, whenever someone remote tells me their firefox isnt working as desired on certain sites, I say download mine and run it. See if it works. And it usually does. Also, I don’t now need to carry my PC around when I travel. With all my apps on a USB, all I need is a host PC on the other end and I’m all set.
Another obvious advantage is that since apps are not installed on the PC, your registry stays slim and running faster. the files are not scattered all over the place, only where you installed it. Uninstalling is as easy as deleting the folder where you installed it. No more registry cleaners, orphan files all over taking up space. Overall, I find my system snappy with little to no bloat and yet everything there at my fingertips.
Now, if only everything else in life was portable. At leasy potty is.