Nayar's Blog

Kubuntu 12.04 released. Upgrade or Install afresh?

Nayar — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:58:25 +0000

I am very impatient to test the new Kubuntu 12.04 which is a Long Term Release version i.e. it will be supported for 5 years. It is supposed to be hyper stable

However, i haven’t taken the decision whether to upgrade my current Kubuntu or to wipe my partition and install afresh. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, we can’t download the .iso file and upgrade from it offline as it tried when upgrading to Kubuntu 11.10. They really need to add this option in Kubuntu installation (or maybe they did it already in this version?).

Anyways, i am very busy this week as i have exams starting soon. I don’t think i’ll be able to afford to wipe my current installation and reconfigure it as awesome as it is now:-

I think i’ll upgrade to Kubuntu 12.04 from the software center for now and later when my exams finish, i’ll do a fresh install.

Problem solved ^_^

Click here to download the latest Kubuntu

I’m still alive!

Nayar — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:34:45 +0000

No, i’m not dead yet

Nayar — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:35:50 +0000

Listening to Satan is very sweet. Beware! They give false hope. They make you self-centric. And you think you are better like that

Nayar — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:10:46 +0000

Nightmares are just positive dreams which prepares you mentally for the worst in life

Display your Facebook’s contacts birthdays in your KDE calendar

Nayar — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:34:35 +0000

Want to have the Birthdays of your Facebook Friends right in your KDE calendar like this?

Here’s what to do:-

1. Go to www.facebook.com

2. Go to events >> Birthdays >> Export Birthdays

3. Copy the link which appears

4. Open Kontact.

5. Go to Calendar Tab. Add new calendar.

6. A screen like this will appear. Select KDE Calendar (traditional)

7. Select “Calendar in Remote File”

8. Paste the link in “Downloaded from”. Leave “Upload to” blank. The calendar will be read-only.

9. Press next and complete the wizard. You’re done!

UoM Wi-Fi on Linux (Kubuntu)

Nayar — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:37:01 +0000

The long awaited Wi-Fi at The University of Mauritius has been officially released since 2 weeks i think. It is a really good move.

As for me, i was concerned whether it would work on linux operating systems. I’ve completed switched to Kubuntu since some time now.

I tried the procedure on https://mysites.uom.ac.mu/wifi/. I managed to connect to wifiprovisioning successfully

But when i open Firefox and when to google.com. It would redirect to some to some page in “uom-wifi-ca.uomwifi.local” but it would stop there. It was supposed to ask me a username and password and give me a certificate.

The Solution?
I booted on Windows 7. Tried connecting to wifiprovisioning. Downloaded the certificate and saved it on my hard-disk. The file name is “certnew.cer”. I switched to Kubuntu again.

I tried connecting to uomstudent directly. It asked for some security fields. I loaded the certificate i downloaded from Windows 7 there. The window should appear like this at the end:-

Connected!

The procedure is a PITA for someone who is not an IT guy. I managed to connect after lots of trials and errors. I would be very cool to officially support Linux OSes. Anyways, i am very happy i managed to connect my Kubuntu. I thought it would have been impossible for a Linux device to ever connect (despite having to download the certificate using a windows device).

Change v/s Self-Improvement

Nayar — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:34:11 +0000

Last semester at the University, i would be late almost everyday when i had classes early in the morning at 08:30. However, this semester i took a resolution to not come late anymore.

However this positive resolution started to haunt my thoughts.

If x = 2 ,then -x = -2

When i would do things badly, the results were kinda good. Now if i do it the correct way, the results might be the opposite

I started to think resolutions should not be considered as an act to *change* yourself. It is to make the same “old you” better.

We remove a negative value y,

x – y = 5

Someone wanting to change himself is a coward IMO. He doesn’t has the guts to admit he has flaws. He prefers instead to throw his ownself away and install someone else’s mind which he considers better.

But, no one is Perfect!

The person above will copy the flaws of the role model too. What would he do next? Enter in an (infinite) loop to search for a new role model?

A wise man can learn, even from a fool, but a fool cannot learn, even from a wise man.

To become a better person, it is important for one to remain himself, improve his own good qualities and eliminate his own bad qualities. Just copying someone might lead him to have a troubled personality. His life would be the most boring of all.

Live your own life. God gave you life as a gift. Don’t waste it

Thoughts?

Taking the “191 Express Curepipe” bus

Nayar — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:16:31 +0000

It’s the first time i saw the bus “191 Express Curepipe” passing through The University of Mauritius at Reduit. I boarded the bus without knowing it’s route. It did the same route as “173 Curepipe” does till Pont Fer i.e. it passes at Ebene first.

At the round about near SUPERCASH, the bus did not go in the direction of sir Abdool Razack Mohamed Hall. Instead, it continued on the motorway until it reached the Aux Coulee round about.

It then went through Aux Coulee till the Aux Coulee Police Station. From there, it went to Curepipe as other buses usually do.

Images from Google Earth

I can’t tell exactly if the journey took less time. But it was definitely more comfortable

Wi-Fi @ University of Mauritius: How Soon Is Now?

Echdee — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:02:02 +0000

The Mauritius Wi-Fi project was approved by the minister last July. Objective: Every one of us can benefit from free internet. There will be a pilot project, whereby 10 Wi-Fi spots will be installed across the island. One in each district and one in Rodrigues. The most common Wi-Fi spots so far are, Mc Donald’s (Port-Louis), Dias Pier (Caudan Waterfront) and Rose-Hill Transport.

While they’re busy making big plans, the University of Mauritius itself doesn’t have a proper Wi-Fi system. We’ve been told that they will soon implement the Wi-Fi system but how soon is now?

We have assignments, research and so on to do, we can still get access to the internet in the library and in labs; but there’s lot of waiting. But what will you do when all the labs are occupied and you have to wait like a really long time before you can use the computers in the library? What are we exactly suppose to do? Use Skype for group assignment at home?

I probably wouldn’t have written this article if we didn’t have the means to use Wi-Fi. But many of us own laptops, smart phones and tablets. But at some point, these gadgets become useless without an internet connection.

We, the students will benefit a lot from the Wi-Fi, and we can get all our research/group assignment done at the University itself. But how long do we have to wait?
It wouldn’t be so bad if the government think of us first, before implementing Wi-Fi spot across the island. But to be honest, I don’t see it coming anytime soon.

-Echdee

DTC: The New SMS

Nayar — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:57:57 +0000

Since last week in Mauritus, SMS prices of Orange and Emtel has risen up to 70cents/- and for MTML 10cents/- i’ve heard. So, instead pf using SMS, why not make calls of 0.5-1 mins known as Do Tiny Calls . Call rate is 1.20/min.

Pros:-

Information can travell in both directions
Costs almost the same or even less.
Only the person needing you pays

Cons:-

It is cheaper for people on the same network only
Girls might have a *little* difficulty to have conversation of less than 1 minute