Installing and Using Java on Ubuntu....

Installing and switching between versions of Java on Ubuntu is a relatively simple process (with a couple of caveats), you just need to know the right commands. Considering that there was a time when I didn’t know this either I thought I’d share what I know (shouldn’t take long :)).

Anyways, first thing first. When we talk about installing Java on Ubuntu we are of course talking about Sun Java. You can also install Open JDK if you want, but most people will use the Sun version for their Java development. Of course these days there are several versions of Sun Java that are in mainstream use; well basically 2, Java1.5 and Java6 (I am sure things will be even more interesting when Java 7 comes out). Regardless of which version of the JDK you want to install the process to do this on Ubuntu is the same. You need to know what package you want to install and then you need to use our old friend apt-get.

Installing Java

In the case of the Sun JDK you will want to install either (or both) of:

sun-java5-jdk
sun-java6-jdk

Mozilla Prism - The Best of Both Worlds

Mozilla is launching a series of experiments to bridging the divide in the User Experience of Web Apps and Desktop Apps. Here Mozilla uses open platform to facilitate the development enhancements of desktop apps to the web platform. Through this blog post you will discover Prism and how we as developers can better contribute to this Project...

The first of these experiments is based on Webrunner, which we’ve moved into the Mozilla Labs code repository and renamed to Prism.

Prism

Prism is an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop.

Prism lets users add their favorite web apps to their desktop environment:

When invoked, these applications run in their own window:

They are accessible with Control-Tab, Command-Tab, and Exposé, just like desktop apps. And users can still access these same applications from any web browser when they are away from their own computers.

The Best of Both Worlds

Prism isn’t a new platform, it’s simply the web platform integrated into the desktop experience. Web developers don’t have to target it separately, because any application that can run in a modern standards-compliant web browser can run in Prism. Prism is built on Firefox, so it supports rich internet technologies like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

And while Prism focuses on how web apps can integrate into the desktop experience, we’re also working to increase the capabilities of those apps by adding functionality to the Web itself, such as providing support for offline data storage and access to 3D graphics hardware.

The User Experience

We’re also thinking about how to better integrate Prism with Firefox, enabling one-click “make this a desktop app” functionality that preserves a user’s preferences, saved passwords, cookies, add-ons, and customizations. Ideally you shouldn’t even have to download Prism, it should just be built into your browser.

We’re working on an extension for Firefox that provides some of this functionality. For more information about the user experience we hope to achieve in Prism, see Alex Faaborg’s blog post. For some of the technical details and new features found in Prism, see Mark Finkle’s blog post.

Getting Started with Prism

We have an early prototype for this working today on Windows, with work continuing on Mac and Linux (for which we should have builds available soon).

To try out the prototype, download and install it: Download Prism for Windows.

Then start Prism. It will display an Install Web Application dialog.

Enter the URL of the application you want to use in Prism (e.g. mail.google.com), a name for the application (e.g. Gmail), and pick where you’d like to create shortcuts to the application.

Then press the OK button. Prism will create shortcuts to the application in the locations you specified and then start the application.

How to Get Involved

Prism is just the first of many experiments we hope to conduct around improving the usability of web applications. It’s open source, like everything we do, and we’re interested in hearing from and working with anyone interested in further developing this concept.

• Discuss, debate and add to the design in the forum. Report bugs in Bugzilla.
• Get the source code, extend it, fix bugs and/or submit patches.

  
  

Use Gmail Account as Personal File Server : Gmail Drive

Google Drive is a fascinating idea from developers to use Gmail Account as Personal File Server. This is a fairly simple and useful trick to score yourself a gigabyte's worth of free online file storage.

After installation, just look at your my computer , you can see a new drive there..That is gmail drive.Click on that and enter your gmail id and password. You can see a blank page . Here you can create folder and paste your files. Coooooool na

Mozilla Plugin Development

Steps to create a mozilla plugin>

1) You need Mozilla Firefox Web Browser (Download from: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/)

2) Initail steps for a Hello World program is here : http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Building_an_Extension

The package is zip file saved with xpi ( pronounced as zippi ). And the Interfacing language is called XUL

You can edit and test your xul templating using this url: http://ted.mielczarek.org/code/mozilla/xuledit/xuledit.xul

The Browser itself written in XUL format. Its basic structure is called XUL Overlay. We can override any part of that overlay with id. (See: http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/XUL_Overlays)

This is how different plugin’s are integrated with already existing mozilla browser. You can Override, Expand, or add separate window for your application.

Since the usage of desktop application are increasing and the need of javascript have more significant nowadays ( Ajax, Flash, Flex, Adobe Air) , We should follow client side developments.

If XUL is for templating , Javascript is action creator here. You can write your code in javascript.

After creating your application , you can showcase it on firefox extension folder. They put your code in sandbox. After testing, if it is an useful one, they will add it to their public package listing so that
everybody can access you extension.

So start your Hello World Application with Mozilla Plugin NOW .

Feel free to contact me in: santosh_madhavan@yahoo.co.in

Fun Time

Hello Techies ,

I cannot resist myself in posting this from sajith's web-blog. Its exciting to watch!!!Lets watch a fun video with your browser interactive effect. Kill me if you dont like this flash + javascript effect.

Dont maximise (enlarge ) your browser window after clicking the below link. Wait a moment after the click.

REMEMBER, DONT MAXIMIZE the window

http://www.fly-a-balloon.be/

Yahoo Media Player - An Eye Candy Script

I found an interesting script from Yahoo to power our website, its just a java script Media Player which makes a playlist from the list of .mp3 files included in our HTML pages. I found yahoo tagging this as revolutionary music player which plays music in our website....I have listed the bullet points they mentioned on this new js

• Adds audio to your site with one line of HTML
• Uses simple, easy-to-hack HTML instead of complicated proprietar y markup, ushering in the REAL Media Web
• Magical floating design never gets lost, is available when you need it, gets out of your way when you don't need it
• Automatically finds all audio links on your page, turning your page into a playlist
• Plays all your blog entries with a single button click
• Allows you to put the play buttons where they belong: IN CONTEX T
• Keeps the user in the page rather than sending them away to a media player
• Picks up your images and adds them as cover art
• Requires no download, install or maintenance

I believe yahoo can even more work on this kind of add-ons to personalize web pages, and they can release source codes to open community to work on them.

What you have to do, is just add this js file below your html page which contains some mp3 href

 <script type="text/javascript" src="http://mediaplayer.yahoo.com/js">