Jonathan Porta

Adventures in diy, electronics, programming, remote control and anything else.

New Fedora 18 Anaconda Installer – Sexy but Frustrating

by Jonathan on May 11, 2013

Fedora 18 Anaconda Installation Summary Screenshot

Fedora 18 Anaconda Installation Summary Screenshot

The new Fedora installer, Anaconda, looks beautiful. Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time trying to figure out how to do something I expected to be commonplace. Here’s how it went down.

Existing Configuration

  • Dual boot with Windows 7 and Fedora 15.
  • 2TB HDD configured with NTFS partitions for Windows, an ext4 boot partition and LVM2 volume group for F15 – 3 LVs – home, swap and root.

What I Wanted to Do

Preserve my /home lv and my ntfs partitions.  Nuke everything else and install Fedora 18.  Pretty straightforward, right?

The First Hurdle

The first several screens were what you might expect – time zone, keyboard, nice splash screen.  By the time you arrive on the “Installation Summary” screen, pictured above, you are probably enjoying the experience-the aesthetics are pleasing.  It just feels good.

And then it happened…

After clicking “Installation Destination” to presumably to setup my partitions, I get this dialog box:

Huh?

My Beef With this Dialog

  • First off, why in the hell would you ever layout information about a hard drive’s size/space/partitions in a paragraph? That is tabular data, best represented in a clear, no frills grid.  Some data presentation is better left cut, dry and to the point.
  • The first thing I read: “3.15 GB of available space.” Great, it thinks I have enough space, even though that number is totally wrong, I have 100s of free GBs available. Whatever. Moving on. Still mentally off frolicking in “PreTTyNewOS Install Land™”.
  • The second thing I read: “1.05 MB Free space available for use.” Wait, what? *eyes dart back up to read the first line*  Oh, I guess I misread that. It NEEDS 3.15 GBs to install.
  • I continue on…eyes jump back down to “29.17 GB Free space unavailable but reclaimable…” Whatever that means…
  • “1.9 TB Space in selected disks reclaimable by deleting existing partitions.” And by that it means “Your HDD is 1.9TB” Of all of the important variables to consider when installing a new OS, the one I seldom care about is hardware, given that at this stage in the process, I would have already made any necessary hardware modifications, such as installing a new HDD. So really, this should not be bolded and grouped in such a way that it appears to be of the same level of significance as an incredibly more important piece of information such as “you do not have enough HDD space, please fix this”.

“You do not have enough HDD space available.”  That is all I needed that dialog to tell me.  Forget the rest of it. Whew! Now that I understand what it is trying to tell me, what are my options?

  • “Cancel & add more disks” – Odd.  I am not sure what this “upgraded” cancel button will do if I were to click it.  Surely it must be more than just a standard cancel button, otherwise it would simply say “cancel”, right?  Will it back me out of the installation, shutdown my PC and hand me a screwdriver?  Because, that is the functionality I have come to expect out of all the other “Cancel & add more disks” buttons out there.  Precedent, yo.
  • “Modify software selection” – This is disabled regardless of what I do, so I guess it doesn’t want me to do that…
  • “Reclaim space” – Uh, last time this dialog box had the word “reclaimable”, you know,  up there a few lines, it was followed by the phrase “by deleting existing partitions” so this button probably means “Format HDD-Lose all stuffs…” There is no way I am ever clicking that button. Why is it even there? Did someone really put an “auto-screw-with-my-partitions” button on this dialog box?
  • At this point I am getting desperate.  I have lost the happy-go-install feelings of late.  I have scanned the important looking items on this dialog, and then looked at my two actionable options. Nothing seems like a clear choice. I am starting to lose faith in this dialog box’s ability to meet my installation needs.
  • Suddenly, when hope had all but been lost, I see: “I don’t need help; let me customize disk partitioning…” Now, that is my kind of checkbox! I quickly check the box and prepare to move onto managing my partitions!
  • Are you kidding me? The result of that checkbox was greying out the “Cancel & add more disks” button, leaving me alone in the room with what I am perceiving will, once clicked, send the grim reaper of data destruction after my precious bits. No! Bits! I love you!
At this point, I am thinking about that backup I didn’t make and how I probably shouldn’t have been so lazy… I should probably press the hard reset button on my PC and just forget about installing Fedora 18 for now.
Scariest Button Click of my Life

I sat here for a good 5 minutes wondering if I should click this button.

Finally, I decide to dive in and live a  little. Nothing like a little data loss to go with your freshly installed OS. Reminds me of Windows!  I click it. Success! I am brought to a  screen that looks like a partition manager. I didn’t screenshot this part because I didn’t think I would need it, seeing as it should have been trivial from this part forward.

In the left-most column are three headings: “New Fedora 18 Installation”, “Fedora Linux 15 for x86_64″ and “Unknown”.  The last is my Win7 installation and the other two are exactly what they sound like. Now, my home partition is under the Fedora 15 header, so I try moving it to the Fedora 18 header. No luck. I continue to mess with the settings until I finally result to googling for an answer. On a page I can no longer seem to find(I wanted to credit it with a link), at the bottom, I discover an incredibly helpful, yet obscure comment that helps me figure out how to use this screen.

The Secret

Prepare for a “derp” moment… Type the mount point into the “Mount Point” field. The partition will then place itself under the “New Fedora 18 Installation” header.

Yep, that easy. I couldn’t believe I didn’t try that…

To nuke a partition, select the partition on the left.  Enter the mount point, if you have not already.  Then, expand “Customize”.  Check “Reformat” and verify that the volume group is correct.

Fedora 18 Installation Partition Manage Screenshot

Showing the partitions to be reformatted now appearing under the Fedora 18 header.

Fedora 18 Anaconda Installation - Moving Old Partitions into new Installation

Yay! My /home is under the correct header!

Installation Complete!

Once the partitions were under the correct headers with the correct mount points and volume group selected, it really was smoother sailing. I left to run an errand, and when I came back Fedora 18 was waiting for me, along with all of my precious bits. I missed you guys!

In all seriousness, I think that the issues, thoughts, and feelings I described above, albeit somewhat melodramatically, could be combined to form the antithesis of the good user experience.  I think this is also a great example of how designers and developers have to be diligent about carrying through good UI practices through every part of every workflow in a program.

What do you think? Did you find this helpful? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Mob of the Dead Music Easter Eggs Walkthrough

by Jonathan on May 2, 2013

In the latest Black Ops 2 Zombies DLC, Uprising, my favorite map has thus far been Mob of the Dead – I haven’t played on the multiplayer maps yet – so I was excited to find out that there are two musical Easter eggs hidden around the map.

Rusty Cage – Johnny Cash
The first Easter egg is Johnny Cash’s Rusty Cage. Triggering it is pretty easy. There are three bottles scattered around the map that need to be activated. They can be activated in any order and by any player. Once the last bottle is activated, the song will start playing right away.

The first bottle is found in the Library, near the window on the book shelf. This is the easiest bottle to activate because it is in the spawn area. Simply walk up to the bottle and press the use button.

The second bottle is found in the infirmary in the room next to the mystery box spawn room. It is sitting between the wall and a stainless steel medical cart.

The last bottle is found in a corner of the docks behind some crates. Make sure zombies aren’t crawling over the fence on top of you while you activate it. It’s best to wait between rounds or grab it in an early round.

Where are we Going – Kevin Sherwood
The second musical Easter egg is Where are we Going? By Kevin Sherwood. This one is super easy to trigger, but it does waste an afterlife.

Head to the spiral staircase in the citadel tunnels and go into after life mode. On the panel that you use to activate the elevator with the rope part you zap in the numbers 9-3-5. The panel will blink 7-7-7 for a split second and then the song will begin.

Let me know if you know of any other musical Easter eggs in the comments below!

Hell’s Retriever – How to get the Hell’s Retriever in Mob of the Dead – Uprising DLC

by Jonathan on April 25, 2013

If you have not yet tried out the Hell’s Retriever, you are surely missing out! Of all of the new weapons available in Mob of the Dead, this is my favorite. It annihilates entire rooms full of zombies, and it also helps out in a pinch when you are out of ammo, backed into a corner, and on your way out.

A screenshot of the Hell's Retriever after picking it up on the Xbox 360.

Hell's Retriever

The coolest thing about this weapon is how easy it is to get. It doesn’t cost anything, and you can get it within the first few rounds if you are focusing on it. All you have to do is feed each of the three Hellhounds on the walls throughout the map a total of 6 zombies each, one at a time. Easy right?

“But, I just want to watch a video. This post is too long!”

Feeding the First Hellhound

While you can feed the hounds in any order, I prefer to start out with the one closest to the starting area. I like to have two thousand points before opening the first door, that way I can open the door and buy another weapon. To get to the first hellhound, buy the first door and go through the door connected to the library. You will see a ramp with a nice blood stain on it. Head up it to the first landing.

The hell hound will be on the wall to your right as a red wolf drawing. To activate the hound, kill a zombie in the area in front of the wall drawing and it will spring to life, inhaling the dead(?) zombie and munching away. Rinse, and repeat 5 more times.

First Hellhound Before Being Fed a Zombie

First Hellhound Before Being Fed a Zombie

First Hellhound After Killing a Zombie

First Hellhound After Killing a Zombie

To the Docks!

After the first hound is fed, I like to go to the hellhound at the docks next. From the first hellhound, head back to bloody ramp and go to the second landing. Buy that door/gate for $2000.  Head down the hallway and jump over to afterlife mode at the red afterlife box halfway down the hall. Power up the Gondola and, if you have time, the Electric Cherry Perk Machine at the start of the hallway-never a bad idea to maximize your afterlifes.

Racking up Points from the Gondola

Racking up Points from the Gondola

Revive yourself and get into the Gondola. Ride it down to the Docks for $750. Now, head to the bottom of the stairs, turn right and go towards the workbench.

You can also jump off from the gangway connected to the Gondola and land right in front of the workbench. On the wall, to the left of the door to the Power Room, you will see the red wolf drawing.

Again, activate the wolf by killing(?) a zombie in front of it. Feed it 5 more, one at a time, and now you only need to feed one more hellhound to get the Hell’s Retriever.

Let’s Visit the Infirmary

From the hellhound at the docks, run back up to the Gondola and buy another $750 ride back up. Run all the way to the beginning of the hallway and then turn right to face the Cherry Shock Perk Machine.

There is a gangway leading to an entrance to the infirmary to the left of the perk machine.  Follow the gangway until you get to the Infirmary door. Buy it for $1000. Turn right, than take either side into the main room of the Infirmary.(But don’t go down the stairs, that leads to the Cafeteria and another door to buy.)

Once in the main room, you should see the wolf drawing on the far wall, and a part for the airplane next to it.

Hellhound in Infirmary - Airplane Part to the Right

Hellhound in Infirmary - Airplane Part to the Right

Just like the first two, activate the hound by killing a zombie in front of it, and follow that up with a full 5-course meal of zombie carcass. It’s probably a good idea to buy the Uzi on the wall so you don’t get overwhelmed and run out of firepower.

Retrieve Your Prize, Victor!

Head back towards the Cherry Shock Perk Machine, but as soon as you get to the long gangway leading to it, you can jump down to the first floor.

Entrance to the Room Containing the Hell's Retriever

Entrance to the Room Containing the Hell's Retriever

This will land you in front of the main Cafeteria gate. Facing the Cafeteria gate(there is a huge gate with a big sign on top of it, the sign says: “Cafeteria”) run to the right and head up the stairway on the right to the second floor, at the top of the stairs hang a sharp right and run right into another door. Buy it for $1000.

Make your way all the way to the end of the cell block and you will be facing the Warden’s Office and to the left a stairway leading down into the Basement.

Hit the stairs, buying the door into the Basement for $1500. Head through the open doors, passing the door to the Tunnels and Spiral Staircase, until you get to a section of the hallway that turns right.  Look left and there will be a hole blown in the brick wall with three of the red wold drawings above it. Inside you may retrieve your prize.

How to Use the Hell’s Retriever

If you can’t figure out how to use the Hell’s Retriever, I will sell you an eBook guide to using it for just $19.95…but wait…get 7 copies when you order now…just pay separate email shipping… Joking!

Simply throw the retriever by pressing the throw button, LB on Xbox 360. What is it on the other consoles?

Hell's Retriever Waiting to be Retrieved

Hell's Retriever Waiting to be Retrieved

You can also charge it up for a more powerful strike by holding it for up-to two seconds before releasing. Play around with it and see how many zombies you can kill with one throw! Then let me know below or post a reply video on my Youtube video guide.

Upgrading the Hell’s Retriever into the Hell’s Redeemer

It is possible to upgrade the Hell’s Retriever and turn it into the Hell’s Redeemer a more powerful version. I believe you can upgrade it three times, and on on the third upgrade I have heard it will be a one-hit-one-kill up to level 70. Unfortunately, I am not good enough to stay alive that long…so, I will just leave it at that for now…

I am getting a video and tutorial put together explaining the upgrade, and will link it here when it’s ready!

Let me know below if you have questions, suggestions, or share your exploits using the retriever. Also feel free to submit a reply on Youtube.

YouTube Channel Art Photoshop Template

by Jonathan on April 25, 2013

While I was setting up my YouTube channel, I wanted to create some sort of graphic for the channel art.

YouTube provides a great explanation of the sizes for different devices but I found myself recreating the guides in Photoshop when I was working on my channel art graphic.

I ended up with a pretty hastily made template that mimics the provided template graphic, except it is a Photoshop CS5 file with layers, just like an onion.

My Youtube Channel Art Template as a PNG Small

Click for full-size PNG

Just in case this could be helpful, here are the downloads for the full size PNG guides and the Photoshop file I ended up with.

 Downloads

Photoshop CS5 Template – PSD File

If you found this of use please let me know below in the comments!

Anyone can reset your Apple ID password if they know your date of birth

by Jonathan on March 22, 2013

According to The Verge, if you know someone’s email address and date of birth you can reset their password and gain access to their Apple account.

Screenshot from Apple's site

Screenshot of Apple's Apple ID Support Page

It appears that an update released by Apple rolling out their new two-factor authentication included a huge security hole.

It looks like Apple is working on a hotfix; the password reset link now says it is under maintenance.

In the meantime, changing your date of birth to something no one else knows is probably good idea.

Real Estate Deal App Beta Released for Android

by Jonathan on April 29, 2012

 

I spent a couple hours today figuring out how to sign and release my first Android Market – yes I know it is now called “Play!” – app.  I have written quite a few Android apps over the last two years, but, oddly, none that I have personally published.  So, here is my debut with a very simple app.

When I realized I was performing the same simple calculations over and over I decided I needed an app to handle that for me.  Hence Real Deal was born.  The app is very simple, but has some potential.

Get it on Google Play

The app uses the following metrics:

  • After Repair Value – the value of the property if it was “squeaky clean” and “brand new”.
  • Repair Estimate – a spinner of potential repair values.  The spinner’s lack of precision is intentional.  Select the number that your estimated repair costs fit within.  For example, if you think there are about $16,000 of needed repairs, select $25,000.  If it costs less, great!
  • Target Position – what ratio of investment to value do you want to be at when done with the project.  By default it is set to 65%.  Generally if you are only 65% into a property, you should have no issues selling it quickly.
The output is the maximum offer that should be made on the property based on the data you entered.  The calculation is very simple:
(After Repair Value – Repair Estimate) * Target Position
I have some ideas to add, time-permitting, but if you have any ideas or comments leave them below!

How I fixed SWTOR launcher not opening and “only a single instance of this application can run” error

by Jonathan on April 14, 2012

Recently I have been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic.  It is the first time I have ever tried an MMORPG.  I am a fan of most everything Star Wars, so, I had to try it out.  Sadly, after playing for a few weeks, I was greeted with this:

Skip to the fix…

Popping open task manager showed that, even though the launcher was not visible on the task bar or anywhere on my screen, the program was indeed running:

 

I ended the “launcher.exe” process and tried to open the launcher again.  Nothing seemed to happen.  So, I clicked on the launcher a third time.  This time, the same error, “Only a single instance of this application can run”. Next, I navigated to the folder containing launcher.exe to see if there were any clues there.  There is a second executable called “FixLauncher.exe”.  But, that only resulted in a new error:

 

Since it told me to restart my computer, I assumed this was due to the fact that launcher.exe was running in the background again.  I opened up task manager again, and indeed, launcher.exe was running.  I ended it and ran FixLauncher.exe again.  This time there were no errors but the installed exited without any sort of message.  Then, I tried launcher.exe again.  Still, nothing.  I opened up task manager and closed the launcher.exe process again. At this point, I decided to do some Googling.  I found a post on the SWTOR forum, but it didn’t help.  It basically suggested to do what I just described doing above.  Not much help.  But, then I found this answer on the Gaming Stack Exchange: http://gaming.stackexchange.com/a/49716.  In the answer, Adanion suggests to delete the patch folder.  So, I deleted the patch folder:

 

Ran FixLauncher.exe again:

 

Drum Roll Please…

 

Success! After the launcher updated itself, it reopened ready to login.  After logging in, the launcher started downloading the latest game updates and all was right in the world again!


TL;DR…

  1. Open task manager and look for “launcher.exe”.  If it is in the process list, kill it.  Be sure it actually dies before moving on.
  2. Open explorer and navigate to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\BioWare\Star Wars – The Old Republic”.
  3. Delete the “patch” folder.
  4. Run “FixLauncher.exe”.
  5. Run “launcher.exe”.
  6. The launcher will update itself and then you should be able to login and play as normal.