syntax highlighting in vim in Ubuntu

Today I finally noticed that syntax highlighting wasn't working in vim in Ubuntu. Installing vim-full and adding syntax on to ~/.vimrc did the trick.

google code, trac-backup

In the current episode (season 5, episode 9) of LugRadio, Stuart Langridge says that his new year resolution is to start releasing some of the little scripts and programs he writes. He says that he writes lots of these things, but tends not to release them, because he thinks that they're not very user-friendly. I really identified with him when he said that, and it's inspired me to try doing the same.

So I created a project in Google Code for the trac backup script I described in a previous post. Creating the Google Code project was pretty easy (although someone unfamiliar with subversion might have a hard time). I've updated the script according to a comment on the previous post about a problem with a new version of trac. If you are interested, please have a look at trac-backup.

I'll probably add more projects in the coming weeks:

• a versioned backup system based on subversion, which is pretty good for backing up configuration data
• maybe some other backup programs I've written
• the password wallet I wrote about in the January issue of Linux Journal
  

WPA2 Enterprise on the Nokia N800

I got a Nokia N800 as a holiday gift, and I took it to work the other day. The N800 is an "Internet Tablet" which is a bit larger than a cell phone and much smaller than a laptop. It's a WiFi device which runs Linux, and it's a pretty neat toy. If you get one, definitely go the software available at maemo.org.

Anyway, I had a bit of trouble getting the N800 to talk to the wireless network at work, which is WPA2-Enterprise authenticating against an Active Directory domain. But a google search found a page describing how to configure a connection, and that worked right away. The following is a direct copy-and-paste of that post:

page 1: Connection type = WLAN
page 2: Network mode = Infrastructure; Security method = WPA with EAP
page 3: EAP type = PEAP
page 4: Select certificate = None; EAP method = EAP MSCHAPv2
page 5: You can enter your login information if you don't want to log in manually each time
page 6: Click "Advanced" button
Other tab: Enable "WPA2-only mode"
EAP tab: Enable "Use manual user name"; enter your "Manual user name"; Disable "Require client authentication" (I thought I had this one enabled initially, but it will now only work if disabled)

I set it not to remember my password (in case the N800 is lost or stolen).

No Country For Old Men

I saw the Coen brothers' No Country For Old Men with a friend last night. It's probably the best film I've seen in a long time. It's pretty violent, but it's well worth seeing. It's more of a character study (like Heat or A River Runs Through It) than a narrative, and it definitely doesn't have a traditional Hollywood ending (in fact, the movie ends rather abruptly). But I thought it was seven shades of awesome. Javier Bardem was a fantastic villain, and Tommy Lee Jones also gave a great performance. Guess I'll be adding Cormac McCarthy (the author of the book on which the movie is based) to my reading list.