Karmic and Phonon: Not Found

This AM I was attempting to update my existing version of Choqok and received an error. I thought I’d share since it did take a couple of minutes to find a solution for fixing.

Dependencies:

• I’m running Kubuntu Karmic, that’s the KDE Ubuntu 9.10
• I pulled the latest Choqok on Gitorious which is where I hit my issue.

The concepts will likely work elsewhere, but not within the nice packages provided in aptitude.

The Problem

~/Code/choqok/build$ cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=`kde4-config --prefix` ..
-- Found Qt-Version 4.5.2 (using /usr/bin/qmake)
-- Found X11: /usr/lib/libX11.so
-- Phonon includes NOT found!
CMake Error at /usr/share/kde4/apps/cmake/modules/FindPhonon.cmake:63 (message):
Phonon library or includes NOT found!
Call Stack (most recent call first):
/usr/share/kde4/apps/cmake/modules/FindKDE4Internal.cmake:559 (find_package)
/usr/share/cmake-2.6/Modules/FindKDE4.cmake:81 (FIND_PACKAGE)
CMakeLists.txt:3 (find_package)
-- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!

Short Fix

Use aptitude

~/Code/choqok/build$ sudo aptitude reinstall libqt4-phonon-dev

Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states… Done
Writing extended state information… Done
The following packages will be REINSTALLED:
libqt4-phonon-dev
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 reinstalled, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/57.7kB of archives. After unpacking 3,441kB will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?] y
Writing extended state information… Done
(Reading database … 264392 files and directories currently installed.)
Processing triggers for man-db …
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils …
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme …
(Reading database … 264183 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libqt4-phonon-dev 4.5.3really4.5.2-0ubuntu1 (using …/libqt4-phonon-dev_4.5.3really4.5.2-0ubuntu1_i386.deb) …
Unpacking replacement libqt4-phonon-dev …
Setting up libqt4-phonon-dev (4.5.3really4.5.2-0ubuntu1) …
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states… Done
Writing extended state information… Done

Long Fix

Use apt-get

~/Code/choqok/build$ sudo apt-get remove libqt4-phonon-dev

Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
kdelibs5-dev libphonon-dev libqt4-phonon-dev
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 3 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 13.6MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
(Reading database … 264392 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing kdelibs5-dev …
Removing libphonon-dev …
Removing libqt4-phonon-dev …
Processing triggers for man-db …

Now, reinstall the libraries that were uninstalled.

~/Code/choqok/build$ sudo apt-get install kdelibs5-dev libphonon-dev libqt4-phonon-dev

Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
kdelibs5-dev libphonon-dev libqt4-phonon-dev
0 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/1,229kB of archives.
After this operation, 13.6MB of additional disk space will be used.
Selecting previously deselected package libqt4-phonon-dev.
(Reading database … 262408 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking libqt4-phonon-dev (from …/libqt4-phonon-dev_4.5.3really4.5.2-0ubuntu1_i386.deb) …
Selecting previously deselected package kdelibs5-dev.
Unpacking kdelibs5-dev (from …/kdelibs5-dev_4%3a4.3.2-0ubuntu7.2_i386.deb) …
Selecting previously deselected package libphonon-dev.
Unpacking libphonon-dev (from …/libphonon-dev_4%3a4.3.1-4ubuntu1_i386.deb) …
Processing triggers for man-db …
Setting up libqt4-phonon-dev (4.5.3really4.5.2-0ubuntu1) …
Setting up kdelibs5-dev (4:4.3.2-0ubuntu7.2) …
Setting up libphonon-dev (4:4.3.1-4ubuntu1) …

Fin

The basic idea here was to reinstall the libqt4-phonon-dev library. This made it so that the include files were back in place and I could compile source code.

Now, you should be able to continue compiling your phonon based source. In this case, as stated above, I was compiling Choqok. But, I doubt this issue is relegated solely to Choqok compilations. I just haven’t yet had the opportunity to compile other KDE4 based apps on Karmic Kubuntu.

Buzz Words Killed the Radio Star

I’m ideating a method proposition to add enterprise grade value which will synergize your verticals.

*cringe* Hold on a second…I need to go wash off the dirty. In all of what I typed above, I didn’t actually tell you _anything_. But, what you expect now is some thing that should make your things work well together. Why don’t we just say that? Because people expect exact answers and the above sounds more like an exact answer! Keep in mind that most places wont do anything nearly as drastic as what I posted above.

Where To Begin?

Buzz words suck. Often times these words start as a way to differentiate products and/or services. While grande, buzz words tend to lose their meaning when _everything_ and/or _everyone_ uses them. When people adopt them on a large scale you’re not actually saying anything. Most people can get the gist of what you’re attempt to say because most people have a brain that works reasonably well, at the very least better than this weasel. However, you lose credibility when you start throwing those kinds of words around.

I’ve been, for a while now, trying to figure out why they are so popular. I’m not sure where it started. The main reasons for using them, that I can think of, are differentiation and filler.

Differentiation

The attempt to be different. This works out reasonably well when you’re the first person/company to say that you are an “enterprise” solution. But, when every competitor uses the term, SURPRISE, you’re no longer different. Or are you? What about the feature you can create a pony out of thin air? I’d say that likely differentiates you, wouldn’t you? Stick to the features and to your capabilities. Those should be what differentiates you.

Filler

If you find yourself with a lack of descriptors then use the ones you can think of. When you “innovate” in the market, what are you really doing? People thirst for information so give it to them. You don’t need to ramble on, but providing some detail is a great teaser. The movie industry uses teasers to pique your interest. You should do the same. Additionally, using buzz words doesn’t make you sound any more intelligent. In fact, it often does the opposite because you aren’t providing substance.

More Proof

If you need more proof that buzz words are everywhere and how irritating they can be. Sit at your next “all hands” type of meeting. Listen to the specific words being used. You’ll notice that a lot of these phrases aren’t really telling you much. It’s almost like eating at McDonald’s, you might get something that resembles a message, but really all your getting is an ill feeling in your stomach.

Try playing games like buzz word bingo. Another that I’ve played is to come up with a list of words and assign points to those words. Each person picks a word they think will provide the most points. Give each person a word to tally and then collect the tallies at the end. Multiply the tallies for the word by it’s value and those are the total points. Once you have the totals you send them out. The prizes are your choice, I tend to prefer a free lunch, but it at least makes the 1-2 hour snore fest more exciting. The point is that you’ll find out just how many buzz words and phrases are used to try and pitch you information and direction.

Where To Go From Here

Well, I’m certain I’ve used buzz words in the past. With so many floating around, it’s bound to happen. Fret not, you can stop using them and gain back your credibility. Make a conscious effort to stop using them and give the terms meaning again. Also, you’ll be generating more intelligent conversation. This, to me, seems like a positive.

Suggestions

You may be able to get a clearer picture of exactly what I’m talking about with some examples. So, here are some off the top of my head.

• Enterprise – We can handle a lot of [users|documents|<insert noun>]. When you say this you’ll need some statistics. So have them ready.
• Web 2.0 – Our web application is primarily built using Javascript, AJAX, and some aesthetically please designs. We are also standards compliant.
• Synergy – Our product works well with <insert other technology>. Or, this will allow <X> to work well with <Y>.
• Best of breed – We’ve used <X> technology. This gives us the ability to do <Y>.
• Leaders in – Hmm… No you aren’t. Just accept it now and get over this phrase. KTHXBI.

Authenticity

One thing I touched on above was authenticity. When you stop using gibberish in your messages you gain credibility. People start to listen to your messages because they are gaining something from it. If you are interested in some ways to approach this take a look at Personality Not Included. I read this some time ago and really liked much of what Rohit had to say.

Go Forth

Go now and conquer! Take out those editors, rewrite those presentations, press releases and websites. Get the word out that you wont put up with buzz words anymore. And, if someone tries to push you into it, you can always threaten them.

Apache Modules, SEOversite and Debugging C

At Axiom Software we’re working on the next release of SEOversite. It’s been exciting. This is basically a tutorial on debugging the Apache HTTPd side of things (keep in mind that this is as much an informational thing for you as it is a reminder for me. I assume that I’m going to have to re-read this at some point).

Background

In production, we’ve been using Apache on Ubuntu Server. This has worked out well seeing as aptitude rocks pretty hard. But, we run into some issues doing debugging and profiling. It’s easier to have the code all within one place, so for development purposes we’re pulling the source so that we can specify the configuration and compiler options for Apache.

Debugging

What other tool do you use to debug C code than the GDB? With any language you need a way to be able to properly debug your code and usually print statements just don’t get it done. So, why stop at the ability to print out from the code when you can actually step into your functions, print out variables, and see back traces. With normal C applications you can simply just load the binaries into GDB:
# gdb <binary>

This doesn’t quite work in our setup though. We are in the situation where we need to debug modules, not just Apache. And, to really be able to step into the code we need to compile it appropriately. When we’re dealing with setting up our module for debugging we need to make sure we pass in the -g flag. The -g flag just makes it so that your code can be debugged with gdb.

So, we have our module which we’ll call seoversite.c. We’re looking to debug so our build looks something like this:
~/seoversite/# /opt/apache/bin/apxs -ci -Wc,-g seoversite.c

This turns on debugging within the binary which means that we are letting GDB process the source of our file. With apxs, the -Wc, flag allows you to pass compiler flags along for when your code is actually built.

We then have a really simple startup for GDB.
/opt/apache/# gdb bin/httpd

As soon as this fires we get a prompt that lets us specify what we want to do. Today I was debugging a simple method that processes a URL so I’ll go through some of that. When we start up gdb we’re presented with a prompt. This is where we need to enter some input.
(gdb) b get_fullurl
Function "get_fullurl" not defined.
Make breakpoint pending on future shared library load? (y or [n]) y
Breakpoint 1 (get_fullurl) pending.

Because our module is shared, gdb doesn’t find the method signatures right away. That’s ok. We’ll wait till they load on the request. Basically, the above puts a breakpoint on the method call get_fullurl. Thus, any code paths that use get_fullurl will halt activity until processed in gdb. So, we start the server.
(gdb) run -X
Starting program: /opt/apache/bin/httpd -X
[Thread debugging using libthread_db enabled]
[New Thread 0x7fce2930d760 (LWP 14174)]
warning: Temporarily disabling breakpoints for unloaded shared library "/opt/apache/modules/seoversite.so"
[Switching to Thread 0x7fce2930d760 (LWP 14174)]

The command we typed was “run -X” meaning, start the binary with these command line options. -X is the debugging flag for Apache. So, we’re telling it to start Apache HTTPd in debug mode. This is what we want. It tells you that it’d loading a shared library and is going to disable the breakpoints while it loads. Afterward it enables the breakpoints you’ve defined. At this point, because our code is dependent on a request, we should make one. I hit a virtual host url that is setup to use our module and immediately see that our method is hit.
Breakpoint 1, get_fullurl (ctx=0x19d4908, use_base=0, args=1) at seoversite.c:330
330 if (use_base) {

This isn’t entirely useful information. I know where my method starts. However, we aren’t limited to just this information. Let’s say that I want to see the back trace of method calls that got me to this method.
(gdb) bt
#0 get_fullurl (ctx=0x19d4908, use_base=0, args=1) at seoversite.c:330
#1 0x00007fce2402299a in filtering (f=0x19cba78, bb=0x19d0298) at seoversite.c:1739
#2 0x000000000044f446 in ap_pass_brigade ()
#3 0x000000000047b2ed in ap_proxy_http_process_response ()
#4 0x000000000047bad0 in proxy_http_handler ()
#5 0x000000000046af37 in proxy_run_scheme_handler ()
#6 0x0000000000467524 in proxy_handler ()
#7 0x0000000000441450 in ap_run_handler ()
#8 0x0000000000441ce9 in ap_invoke_handler ()
#9 0x000000000048823c in ap_process_request ()
#10 0x00000000004851f0 in ap_process_http_connection ()
#11 0x000000000044ae72 in ap_run_process_connection ()
#12 0x000000000044b2f9 in ap_process_connection ()
#13 0x00000000004ac48b in child_main ()
#14 0x00000000004ac56e in make_child ()
#15 0x00000000004acb03 in ap_mpm_run ()
#16 0x000000000042857c in main ()

This is now getting useful. Not only is this nice for debugging purposes, it’s really nice for inspecting call traces of modules you’ve never used before. Inspecting the actual behavior will provide you a much better clarity of the source code. In our case, this confirmed my assumption of the calls that lead up to getting to get_fullurl.

Now I know how we got to my method, but I need to see where it’s failing. Ideally I have the source up in Emacs and can look at line numbers while debugging. What I don’t get with this however is the ability to go one line at a time and inspect the values and types of variables. GDB provides this capability.
(gdb) n
334 if (ctx->f->r->parsed_uri.query != NULL && args) {

As with most debugging software, this allows me to step through code, line by line, to see what the execution does. Obviously, this is a useful thing. But, to enhance it we get the ability to inspect variables.
(gdb) n
334 if (ctx->f->r->parsed_uri.query != NULL && args) {
(gdb) p args
$2 = 1
(gdb) p ctx->f->r->parsed_uri.query
$3 = 0x0

And, to make sure you have the appropriate context for what you are dealing with, you can print out a handful of lines to accompany your inspection.
(gdb) l
327 char* baseuri;
328 char* fullurl;
329
330 if (use_base) {
331 baseuri = get_baseuri(ctx->f->r);
332 } else {
333 if (ctx->f->r->parsed_uri.query != NULL && args) {

Ultimately this has made things easier. And, there is no longer the “ok, add a new print line in here, recompile, run, check logs, rinse and repeat” type of process. It really simplifies my life when I have to hack on C code and I know it helped one of our other guys track down some memory based issues. The only downside here is that there is no longer any sword fighting.

Adapting To Change

Homework

If you watch the following video with Trent Reznor, it’s about 40 minutes long, you’ll likely understand the rest of this post. But, for the TL;DL crowd, the interview had a lot of undertones to it that I really thought needed to be elaborated on. Not only do they pertain to what he’s doing within the music industry; what he discusses has to do with, at the very least, the tech industry. I see it as a fundamental shift in the way business is being conducted. At any rate, take a glance, and there will be more after the video.

Thoughts

First- Trent Reznor is the f*ing man.

Second- Trent Reznor is the f*ing man.

Third- there is new information coming out lately about how we’re in a time of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). M&A is a way to grow your company in size (employment), in revenue and, if you did your homework correctly, in profit. Ultimately the point of the larger companies is to make themselves money. They need to sustain the business styles they have grown into. Younger companies tend to be far less concerned about the profit engine as they are a bout their idea. Pay attention here. If you listened to what Trent said about record labels and artists then this should sound familiar. However, his thoughts don’t just apply to the recording industry.

Small businesses tend to be focused on producing some idea that changes the world, makes it a better place to live in, or makes my cheese burger taste even that much better. They are _not_ focused on whether the special sauce will be cheaper if they use Angus vs norm. In fact, a lot of smaller companies will make a deliberate decision to go for quality. They know it will cost more, but often that deliberate decision is an important differentiator in the market.

However, the businesses doing M&A tend to be focused on things that generate profit. They need to feed the meat grinder and produce dollars. After all, they have investors to satisfy. But, and this is where Trend hits the nail on the head, if you want to keep your vision, in most cases, you need to stay away from the M&A scene. If you’re looking to just make some cash or want a much larger exposure to the market knowing that you may lose some of that “somethin’, somethin’” then M&A may be right for you.

Something to keep in mind here is that the internet does allow for a great “grassroots” style exposure method. While the phrase it overused and overassumed, “your stuff could go viral!!! OMG!”

Fourth- in the interview Trent provides some notes about what artists starting out can and should do. This is not unlike the technology industry. Now-a-days there is often very little capital required to start. You can literally buy a domain and hosting for 21 dollars a month, throw up a blog, software, etc. and you’re on your way. The most expensive equity at that point becomes sweat equity. Here is something to note, investors tend to like it if you require less money from them and can produce something which will make them rich. Seems to make sense yea? If you can show that you work your ass off, made this product in your “free” time, and then have plans for the future, you’re well on your way to getting some funding.

Keep in mind that getting funded is much like acquisition. While the investor will be much more likely to care about your vision they are still concerned about the profit engine. However, because it doesn’t feed into some conglomerate view of the bottom line, there is a bit more attention on the details that make your company tick.

Fifth- things are changing. The way that business is done is changing. This is somewhat hidden in my fourth note. Trent noted a distinct difference with the way artists need to operate now from when he was coming into the industry with Nine Inch Nails. The technology that exists today makes it so that the companies today that are really taking off are just starting as hobbies or side projects. There are a ton more as well. The point here is that these companies are utilizing the infrastructure to make something really interesting and really useful, but most importantly, something that they themselves want to use. This is where I see technology companies going.

There are a few things about this topic I haven’t elaborated on. If you make something that you yourself want to use then you will likely lack passion, devotion, and when the chips are down it’ll be easier to cashout than to dive back on in. Starting projects, companies, or ideas is hard work. It requires a ton of time and effort. You’ll get to a point where it will feel better to just throw it away. But, if what you are doing is worth it to _you_ then you will pour that extra cut of “oomf” and push through it. And, IMO, if investors overlook this crucial element, they don’t deserve the profit you would make them.

Video Editing Software for Linux: Kdenlive

Linux has some great software built for it and the video editing arena is no different. The videos that I create tend to be fraps based out of games, but they still require some editing. I was interested in finding some software that wasn’t hard to use and would allow me to produce quality videos.

Enter Kdenlive. Kdenlive is a non-linear video editing tool that provides nearly everything that an amateur like me would want. And, having seen Adobe Premiere Pro, I’d imagine it’s what professionals want as well.

The software itself is laid out really well. My focus and attention is always on the video itself. And, since the second area where I do most of my detail work is with the tracks, it only makes sense that it be very large as well. The project tree, left of the video, can be toggled for other things as well. You can view the effects and the transitions lists in this pane. Then, should you want to add something you can drag it in place.

I have checked out some other software before too but it was incredibly buggy and way too crashtastic. The one I tried the most to use was OpenShotVideo and it just isn’t there yet. It seems like it could be a great tool in the future. For now, this novice is sticking with Kdenlive.

At any rate, I’m not great at “reviewing” video software since I do so little of it. I just wanted to throw out a post mentioning the capabilities here in case others of you who do the same thing I do with video were interested in it. I hope that this is helpful to someone.