Oliver Merk's Personal Blog

Linux Chrome and Self-Signed SSL Certificates

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:38:00-0400

I use an OpenSSL certificate for a private ColdFusion app that I use for a link management and calendar app. For months I've been trying to get Google Chrome for Linux to recognize the certificate and remember it between sessions. I followed the instructions here but couldn't get it to stick. I chanced upon the solution when it became time to re-generate the SSL certificate, which I do annually. It turns out that Chrome expects the Organization Name, Organizational Unit Name and Common Name to be the same as the fully qualified domain name, in my case, www.linkstart.com. Here then are the instructions to create a self-signed certificate and get Chrome to permanently recognize it. I'm assuming the SSL module has already been set up in Apache. On the server: cd /etc/apache2 Substitute the .key and .crt file names as you require in the the following: sudo openssl req -config openssl.conf -new -pubkey -keyout linkstart.key -out linkstart.crt -x509 -nodes -days 365 When prompted, set these as per your site - remember to use the full website address for the Organization Name, Organizational Unit Name and Common Name:

Country Name (2 letter code) [AU]:CA
State or Province Name (full name) [Some-State]:ON
Locality Name (eg, city) []:Richmond Hill
Organization Name (eg, company) [Internet Widgits Pty Ltd]:www.linkstart.com
Organizational Unit Name (eg, section) []:www.linkstart.com
Common Name (eg, YOUR name) []:www.linkstart.com
Email Address []:oliverm@linkstart.com

To enable this cert in Google Chrome, do this on the client: Go to the URL of your site, eg. https://www.linkstart.com/ Get Certificate Information by clicking on the https part of the URL Export the certificate to the Desktop as Base64-encoded ASCII, single certificate cd Desktop sudo certutil -d sql:$HOME/.pki/nssdb -A -t "C,," -n www.linkstart.com -i www.linkstart.com certutil -d sql:$HOME/.pki/nssdb -L this should show: www.linkstart.com C,, Re-start Google Chrome

Apache: Password Protecting Directories

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:15:00-0400

I always forget how to add simple password protection with Apache 2 so here's a reminder to myself. 1. Add directive: "AllowOverride All" (no quotes) into the protected <Directory> configuration entry. Depending on your setup, the <Directory> entry may be under /etc/apache2/apache2.conf or /etc/apache2/sites-available.default. For example:


DocumentRoot /home/omerk/wwwroot

	Options FollowSymLinks
	AllowOverride All
	SetOutputFilter Deflate

2. Open a shell prompt and cd into the protected directory 3. Run: htpasswd -c .htpassword yourname
Enter your password when requested. 4. Also in the protected directory, create .htaccess file with the following content:


AuthType Basic
AuthName "restricted area"
AuthUserFile /{full path from the root of the drive}/.htpassword
require valid-user

5. Restart apache with: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart That should be it.

Removing Namoroka/Shiretoko from Ubuntu

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:13:00-0400

Every once in a while I get a system update notification in Ubuntu and it (rudely) replaces my generic Firefox installation with the Namoroka/Shiretoko versions packaged with Ubuntu. It seems to work fine, but I prefer having plain old Firefox. To get Firefox back, do the following: System >> Administration >> Software Sources >> Other Software: disable or remove: ubuntu-mozilla-daily ppa At the terminal:


sudo apt-get remove firefox
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install firefox-3.6

Voila! Good old Firefox classic!

Navicat on Linux

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:47:00-0400

I love using Navicat for MySQL. I've tried a lot of different UIs for MySQL administration and this one is worth the price. And I applaud PremiumSoft for having a Linux version. Unfortunately, the Linux version is really the Windows version with an included version of Wine, tweaked to run Navicat. Seems kind of strange to have 2 versions of Wine on my system. So I purchased a copy of the Windows version and set to work figuring out how to get all the features to work and how to make it look like a native app as well. In order to do things like saving data transfer profiles, you'll need to do the following. 1. Use Google to find download links to Pgmr101.ocx, msxml3.dll and msxml3r.dll or get them from a Windows XP distribution. Copy these to Wine's system32 directory, overwrite as required (but backup any existing files just in case). In my case, I copied them to /home/omerk/.wine/drive_c/windows/system32/ 2. Run a DOS (yes DOS) terminal:
env WINEPREFIX="/home/{your_home_dir}/.wine" wine "C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe" 3. Paste these DOS commands and hit enter for each:
regsvr32 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll
regsvr32 msxml3r.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml3r.dll
regsvr32 Pgmr101.ocx
regsvr32 /s Pgmr101.ocx

You may need to cd into the system32 directory for this to work. 4. In Ubuntu, open Applications > Wine > Configure Wine. 5. In Libraries > Existing Overrides:
msxml3.dll(native, builtin)
Note that the order is important: native, then builtin.
6. Install the Windows version of Navicat via Wine and you should be good to go. In terms of fonts, they can be tweaked either at the Wine level or in the application itself. Note that if you change fonts in the application, you must re-start it to see the changes. Mine looks like this...

QuickFolders for Thunderbird

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:19:00-0400

Just found a great extension to Thunderbird that has cut down on the amount of time I spend sorting through the daily email flood. QuickFolders is a project created by Alexander Malfait and Axel Grude. They've obviously put a lot of time, thought and care into crafting this very configurable add-on. Here's a screen shot from their site:
As you can see, you create a tool bar of your most-used email folders for easy access. You can also drag emails onto these tabs for quick organization. And there are lots of settings to play around with until you get it looking just right. I think this is such vital functionality that it should be part of the next version of Thunderbird. The project home page is at quickfolders.mozdev.org. If you're a Thunderbird user, this one's a must-have.

RabbitVCS == Tortoise SVN for Linux!

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:27:00-0400

There's been an update to the old NautilusSVN project called RabbitVCS which finally gives Ubuntu/Gnome SVN users something on par with the venerable Tortoise for Windows. I've been testing it for a couple of days and it's really good. The only bug I've found is that if a file is deleted from disk, a commit won't delete the file from Subversion. Guess I won't be able to "sudo apt-get purge kdesvn" just yet, but hopefully soon! It also has one of the best Open Source project sites I've ever seen. Check it out (pun intended) at www.rabbitvcs.org.

Flex Development with Firefox

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:00:00-0400

Does it drive you crazy that every time you run your Flex app it opens in a new Firefox tab or window? Here's the fix: In the address bar, enter about:config Search for or add the following two entries and set their values to 1:

browser.link.open_newwindow = 1
browser.link.open_external = 1 Now the same window will be used every time. No browser restart required. This works with 3.6.8 but future versions might change these keys.

Flash Builder 4 Linux Notes

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:34:00-0400

OK, so there's no such (official) thing as Flash Builder 4 for Linux (unless you know how to use "the Internet" and something called "Google"). Despite Adobe's reluctance to give us the "choice" (ahem) of OS to use, some clever people have figured out how to get most of FB4 to work on, in my case, Ubuntu. Here are some tricks I had to use to get it really humming: Problem: Packages Missing
(OK, this one's just me being stupid)
Use View: Package Explorer, not Navigator Restore Control-Shift-R
(Most annoying bug in FB4!)
Windows -> Customize Perspective -> Command Groups Availability:
De-select "Flash Navigation"
Restart Eclipse
If this doesn't fix the problem, go back into Command Groups Availability:
Select "Java Coding"
[You may need to re-save the Flash perspective to enable these] Restore Flash Context Menu
(i.e. right-click on project and see Flex options)
Windows -> Customize Perspective -> Shortcuts
Add Flash Builder Restore Context Menu Icons
(Actually turns out to be an Ubuntu thing:)
Issue these commands in your terminal:
gconftool-2 -s -t boolean /desktop/gnome/interface/buttons_have_icons true
gconftool-2 -s -t boolean /desktop/gnome/interface/menus_have_icons true
Let me know if you have any others...

Flex Camp 3 Toronto

Mon, 17 May 2010 11:39:00-0400

Flex Camp 3 Toronto is an afternoon/evening event for RIA developers and anyone else interested in Adobe Flex. We've engaged some world-class presenters for this event, including Adobe's Lee Brimelow and Renaun Erickson. Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned pro, there will be hands-on as well as lecture-style demonstrations that are designed to engage you. Please note that we will be charging a modest $25 CAD fee (includes GST) to offset the costs of food and first-class venues. We'll also be giving away copies of FDT Pure to every attendee, as well as a chance to win a full license to Flash Builder 4 Premium! The event is filling up quickly. If you're interested in attending, we recommend that you sign up soon! Head over to http://www.torontoflex.org to register.

My MAX 2008 Presentation

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:30:00-0400

Here's my preso from MAX 2008. If you save the attachment you'll have the cheat sheet that was distributed at the session (until we ran out;)

Thanks to slidesix.com for their presentation application. Let me know if you have any questions or additional tips to share!

MAX2008 update and MAX 2009!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:08:00-0400

Breaking news from MAX2008. I picked up my Speaker's Badge last night, flipped it over and there it was:
"See you next year"
Los Angeles, California
October 4-7, 2009

Doing my one and only presentation this afternoon, then it's sitting back to enjoy other peoples' sessions.

Toronto Flex User Group Meeting: MAX2008 Goodies!

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:13:00-0400

Our next meeting will be on Thursday December 4th, 2008 at Oakham House on the Ryerson Campus, starting at 6:30pm:

Oakham House
Room: Oakham Lounge
55 Gould Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 1E9

http://www.oakhamhouse.com/pages/directions.php has directions and parking information.

The evening's theme will be MAX2008 Goodies. We'll look at new product announcements, betas and other news that comes out of the San Francisco MAX conference the week of November 17th.

If you're planning to attend MAX and would like to help present, just drop me a line.

As always, don't forget to register free at www.torontoflex.org so we know how many people to expect.

If you're interested in presenting an application or topic in the future that would be of interest to the group, let us know and we'll try to get you some time at an upcoming meeting.

Thanks,
Oliver

Upcoming ColdFusion/RIA Seminars

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:51:00-0400

I'll be presenting at a couple of CF/Flex seminars at the end of the month, along with Rick Palmerio, my New Toronto Group cohort.

These introductory sessions are aimed at the decisions makers, the suits, the money people. If you're trying to sell the ColdFusion or Flex platforms within your organization, this would be a great place to send your boss.

Registration is FREE and attendees will receive a free copy of Flex Builder!

[EDIT:]
CANCELED: OTTAWA:
Adobe Systems Canada
343 Preston Street, Ottawa, Algonquin Room
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008
9:00am 11:00am
Continental Breakfast served at 8:30am
Register here TORONTO:
Oakham House
63 Gould Street, Toronto, ON Canada
Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008
9:00am 11:00am
Continental Breakfast served at 8:30am
Register here

Flash Player 10 released

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:44:00-0400

It's here! An the Linux version has a .DEB installer: Download the Linux version here. Other versions here. The debug Linux version is here.

Next Toronto Flex User Group Meeting

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:40:00-0400

The next meeting of the Toronto Flex User Group will be held on October 23, 2008 at Oakham House (Ryerson campus). This time around, we've got two User Group members presenting. As always, if you're interested in presenting something at a future meeting please contact me via the website. Please visit torontoflex.org for more details and to sign up. It's free!