I dunno with you guys, but I’m more comfortable coding using a text editor, whether it be shell scripts, or PERL, PHP, HTML, JS, or CSS files. Despite the proliferation of IDEs in every platform, I usually end up writing code in vi or vim.

It’s also encouraging to know that a lot of developers also share my preference of coding from scratch using a text editor instead of using IDEs. Read more in this article by Lifehacker, which has featured the Best Text Editors in one of its articles. It’s also interesting to note that vi turned out 2nd in the article’s poll results. The first placer as of press time is Notepad++ which is a Windows-only application. So for cross-platform text editing, vi/vim is still the popular choice.

I really like Firefox (no offense meant to Safari, I love it too) but every time I’m behind the University’s network, it is such a hassle to reconfigure proxy settings then unset them when I proceed to another location. Yes there are proxy extensions for Firefox but you still have to execute a few clicks here and there to configure your proxy settings every so often.

That’s why I am forced to use Safari when I’m in the University, because it automatically inherits the system’s proxy settings, so I only have to switch Network Locations then I don’t have to worry setting and unsetting the proxy configuration.

Another problem with Firefox plugins is that with every version of Firefox almost always the plugins won’t be compatible (a.k.a. usable) with the newest version. Right now I’m using version 3 beta 5, where I was forced to uninstall most v. 2 plugins simply because they’re not compatible with my Firefox already.

I happen to stumble across the article, System Proxy for Firefox and Thunderbird from the Solaris Notes blog and my, the Firefox extension just works like a charm. Now Firefox behaves exactly like Safari - every time I switch to a Network Profile with proxy settings, I don’t have to change my proxy settings in Firefox like before, it automatically inherits the system-wide proxy settings seamlessly. Just awesome.

For installation instructions, just read the above article. Or if you’re used to installing Firefox extensions, you can download the installer here.

What’s also nice about it is, you can also install the same extension in Thunderbird which basically does the same thing for the mail app. However, I’m not using Thunderbird so I haven’t tested it. IMHO, Apple’s Mail.app is the best mail client for Mac OS X.

Happened to pass by Shi’ne’s blog, and found this entry: How To Enable Root Password in Leopard. I honestly didn’t before that there’s a GUI utility for enabling root password in Mac OS X, and it’s in the form of the Directory Utility.app. That’s one useful tip I’ve learned today.

I guess Apple does not enable root password by default as a security precaution (for the sake of ordinary users). Can’t really remember what I usually do after a new Mac OS X install, but here’s how I change the root password via the command-line, without necessarily “enabling root password” explicitly (and it’s applicable even in pre-Leopard versions):

1. launch terminal.app (be sure you’re logged in as an admin user)
2. $ sudo su
(imho, admin users are automatically added to the sudoers group by default)
3. # passwd
(from the su environment you can then change the root password)

Being the traditional sysad that I am, I still want to execute some admin stuff via the command-line even if there are already built-in Mac utilities with the kewl interfaces. In my opinion, it’s just much faster doing stuff in the terminal.app. with less mouse use, and your fingers just stay in the keyboard at all times, ready for action so to speak.

At last I’ve found the time the other day to add my Nokia E61i and Nokia 6120 Classic to iSync. I’ve upgraded to Leopard a few months back and I installed from scratch and I dunno where my Nokia E61i iSync driver was so I wasn’t able to add it immediately. I was already contented that these two phones are compatible with BluePhoneElite 2, and I didn’t have to sync the phones because BPE2 can read and recognize my phones’ contacts as well as entries from the Addressbook.app.

After a month or so, I never got around to at least remember to make iSync work with my new Nokia 6120 Classic (I already retired my Sony Ericsson w800i, which worked perfectly fine with iSync and BluePhoneElite 2 by the way), until today. Nokia hasn’t released an official driver/installer yet, but it’s not that hard to hack iSync to detect mobile phones, and Nokia 6120 Classic is no exception.

BTW, here’s Nokia’s iSync Support page so you can download iSync drivers for your Nokia phone. And here’s an article detailing how to enable iSync support for Nokia 6120 or any phone for that matter.

Now I can sync Addressbook.app with my two phones again. But somehow I have to double-check my entries because iSync usually duplicates entries between my phones and Addressbook.app and it’s too much of a hassle to run through the hundreds of phonebook entries and see if they’re duplicated or not. I’ll make sure my Addressbook.app entries are unique and just delete phonebook entries before the “first” sync. Any suggestions?’

I know this is almost two years old but huwaw, just found this out. Although there’s already a recently-closed tabs from Firefox’ history menu, life will be much easier with this feature.

Mac OS X: Cmd+Shift+T
Windows: Ctrl+Shift+T

Got this tip from Lifehacker who also got it from Slacker Manager.

• April 5, 2008 (Saturday) 7:00 PM: KBCF’s Kape at Banda 2008 with Ignite Youth Band, Lampara and Poema.

• April 11, 2008 (Friday) 5:30 PM: EdgeRadio’s Redeem the Airwaves 3.0 Concert at SM Southmall. With Acel (formerly of Moonstar8 and Salamin. 

• April 13, 2008 (Sunday) 1:00 PM: NU 107’s Against the Flow Anniversary Special.

• May 2, 2008 (Friday) 7:00 PM: GenCon’s Rock Da Church 5, Taytay Rizal. With Barbie Almalbis-Honasan and NaCls.

 

  

Free Admission! 

One of the best bassists that I really look up to will be conducting a bass guitar clinic tonight March 18, Tuesday 6PM. Too bad I have already made plans, so I can’t go. :’( This would’ve been a once-in-a-lifetime event… But to those who can go, here are the details:

Ticket priced at PhP 200.00. 
Venue: 
Victory Center, 3rd Level Forum Robinsons Place Pioneer 
30 EDSA corner Pioneer Street 
Mandaluyong City 

The KBCF Single Adults Ministry

would like to invite you to

Tickets @ PhP 50 only

See you there!

————————————————————————

KBCF
11th Jamboree St., Barangay Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City
Telephone : (02) 927-7420
website: http://kbcf.org.ph
map: http://tinyurl.com/2m3ow8 [also see vicinity map below]

Spread the love and spread the word.

[Update]

There’s gonna be a pa-raffle, may mga minor prizes tapos major prizes are: 1 Wild at Heart book and 1 Captivating book. There’s also gonna be books for sale relating to the topic. So for PhP50, you get to have dinner, listen to 2 speakers with matching FGDs discounted(?) books and a chance to win these 2 books. (”,). You may buy the tickets at the venue. Hope you guys can come.