Digital Adventures of Cyril Pauya

To use multiple Django versions for development, you will need virtualenv. Virtualenv is a sandbox that allows you to use different versions of Python in your development machine.  It is a tool to create isolated Python environments.

I have been using Django 1.1 beta on my projects.  Just recently, I needed to use Django 1.0 for a new project.  Of course there were major differences from Django 1.0 versus Django 1.1 which could cause headaches.

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If you have been using Ubuntu (or any Unix variant), you should now know that there is a history command which keeps track of the commands you have executed in the shell.  I have been using Ubuntu for a few months and my history command list is now at 500+ commands.

Here are some of the basic uses of the history command:

> history

• this lists all commands you have executed in the shell

> history | more

• same as above but only shows a page of list
• press spacebar to move to the next page
• press the letter q to quit displaying history commands
• the | is a pipeline which means redirect the output of the history command as input to the more command

> history | grep <text>
example:
> history | grep ls
> history | grep rsync

• lists only the shell commands that contains the text after the grep command
• grep basically is a command line text search utility

> man history

• help manual of the history command
• very helpful documentation I must say!

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Ubuntu is a free and open-source operating system based on Debian.  The reason I choose this over the other GNU/Linux variants like Fedora, Mint, openSUSE,Mandriva, Debian, and others, is because of the Ubuntu promise to make it free forever, including the enterprise editions and security updates.

I have been waiting for more than two years for Ubuntu to mature as a replacement to Windows XP.  To qualify, it must satisfy the following features:

1. easily support dual monitors
2. out-of-the-box support for my laptop’s Broadcom B43 wireless adapter
3. support for my laptop’s infrared device

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We got disconnected from our ISP today, NDMC now has no Internet connection.

We have been with DCTech (old ISP) for more than 4 years and since they cannot fulfill our need for an upgrade from a 1.5Mbps to 4Mbps connection we decided it’s time to look for another ISP.  We signed-up with Globe INNOVE last June 2009 but are still waiting to be connected this month.  DCTech was generous enough to allow us a one month extension last August 2009 but did not approve our second request for an extension.

We had 8 public static IP addresses with DCTech and we used all of them to host servers for the following:

• school website
• email server
• applications server
• proxy server
• perimeter firewall
• internet gateway for offices

All major offices of the school are using e-mail and the Internet for research.  With my estimate, it would take around 2 weeks or more before Globe connects us.  Since we will be disconnected this month, I decided to move the three important servers on my Webfaction account so that we will have a minimal downtime.

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