Sleepless

A number of users have had problems trying to install MySQL as a service under Windows while passing the startup argument --defaults-file="<file location>" in the case of the file being stored in the MySQL installation directory, usually under "C:Program Files".

In that case the following command: "

C:Program FilesMySQLbin>mysqld --install MySQL --defaults-file=C:Program FilesMySQLmy.ini

"

failed and the service was not registered.

The quick solution as I have found is simply to replace "Program Files" with the alternative "Progra~1" making the command as follows:

"

C:Program FilesMySQLin>mysqld --install MySQL --defaults-file=C:Progra~1MySQLmy.ini

".

I hope that helps someone :)

Από tidur @ Τετάρτη, 16 Δεκεμβρίου 2009 6:16 μμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

A few days ago a number of websites that provided subtitles for movies or TV series got shut down by the Ε.Π.Ο.Ε. (Εταιρία Προστασίας Οπτικοακουστικών Έργων -> translation: Company For Protection Of Audiovisual Materials). Yet another pointless move in a battle against piracy. Subtitles will continue to be provided, there is no doubt about that. Attention is now moving to things such as SubDownloader a P2P subtitle sharing application.

On a similar note users of the Blogspot blogging service should be warned that Blogspot has on a number of occasions removed posts that they believe to contain links to copywrite protected material WITHOUT NOTICE! So if anyone is considering setting up a serious blog, where they are in control of their posted content & are treated with respect, I would recommend you stay AWAY from Blogspot! A number of occurences has come up on various blogs, where the matrial linked had been provided by the original artists and yet was taken down without any notification because it was simply believed to be in violation of copyright. But of course if they don't CONTACT their customers before they delete their posts, they in turn, have no chance to explain this to them!

Από tidur @ Τρίτη, 21 Οκτωβρίου 2008 3:18 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

This is a warning to all those considering the purchase of a Hewlett-Packard or Compaq laptop. If you are considering buying the laptop and then upgrading to Windows XP, (There is no typing error here, read on...), you should be warned that the aformentioned companies to NOT provide any of the drivers required for you to do so & don't have any future plans to do so! So, if you are nice & comfortable with XP & want to continue using it, then think twice before choosing one of those laptops. I'm not saying you can't find the drivers for them if you look hard enough... but it is certainly a much harder task and it is something that you as a customer should NOT have to do!

I am myself an owner of a HP Pavillion laptop & am extremely pleased with it. But there is no way in hell I would run Vista on it. I am just not masochistic enough. I have better things to do with my time than wait for that mockery of an OS to actually get round to doing something useful between the fancy loading screens and all the "are you sure you want to perform this action"-style warning screens.

I hope -though seriously doubt- that HP will realize that trying to corner their clients like this when so many people do NOT want to move over to Vista is not a good thing for them & does not show their customers the respect they deserve.

Από tidur @ Τρίτη, 14 Οκτωβρίου 2008 3:22 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

Recently I decided to finally build a new PC for myself.

I decided that since I had managed to last about 8 years with my last computer & since I was intending this one to be my workhorse & gaming rig for the next 5 or so years I would spare no expense & pretty much get anything I wanted for it. The components of the computer as well as some images will be the contents of another post, since I want to have the computer setup in my workspace with the new desk and everything before I take the photos.

While considering the components & general structure / layout of the new system I had to make an important descision - what OS, or combination of OS'es I would install on it. So after spending a lot of time considering my needs & the way I intended to use the machine, it became apparent that the best for me would be a Linux / Windows XP dual boot system.

So 3 months later here I am, to report on my experiences and to explain why I chose those 2 operating systems as the ones I would use.

- Why not:

1. Windows Vista: Ok, let me get this out of the way first, since it is the most obvious. Windows Vista for me has evolved itself into an operating system equivalent of crippleware. It feels awkward to use, sluggish even on powerful computers, it still has compatibility issues with a number of software applications & games, it has a lot of eye candy, which serves little purpose other than to impress at the cost of system responsiveness & speed, It constantly tries to tell the user what to do treating him like a child and also to the best of my knowledge it is loaded with DRM, which for me is a big NO! Microsoft with Vista have managed to move even further away from what in my mind is the concept of a good operating system. The main problem for me is their never-ending attempts to stop the pirating of their operating system and attempting to do as such are trying anything they can think of resulting in a the end user having to pay the price. The pirates aren't affected of course. By the time the majority of them decide to switch to something like Vista, the cracks available online make their experience better than that of the paying customers who have to face the various quirks of the operating system as it tries to verify their "authenticity". It gets to the point where you sit back & think - why would I knowingly PAY to have such a hassle inflicted upon me? Vista may be here to stay, but I am going to keep away from it for as long as possible!
2. Apple Mac & OS X Leopard: A few of my friends tried to tempt me to finaly buy a Mac & to move into an environment that "just works". I have to admit that as far as the user experience goes, Macs are near perfect. If you simply want to turn your computer on open the application of your desire and get whatever task you have in mind done, then Macs offer what is probably the best user experience that money can buy at the moment. In fact I can't even see that changing in the near future. The Macintosh OS (Leopard) is beautiful, nicely designed and a pleasure to use. There is something that annoyes me however. The Mac OS tries to earn itself points for being a virtualy crash-free operating system. That is for the most part true, after all under normal use Macs are very stable. But how do Macs achieve this??? By using a limited and totaly controlled hardware base. You cannot build your own Mac using any components you desire... you have to buy your Mac as one whole piece only being allowed whatever customization options Apple allows for. Like that special new Nvidia or ATI graphics card? Sorry - you can't have it! That new motherboard that has all the bells & whistles you want on it? Nope, you can't have that either! You are limited to the hardware used by Apple & thats it. It is MUCH easier to build a stable system, when you know exactly what the hardware you will be running it on will be - unlike the other OSes that have to take into consideration a huge amount of possible hardware combinations! Of course as always there are "hacked" versions of the Mac OS X operating system, that will run on non-apple-endorsed hardware, but those versions are not stable enough yet to be used in a proper workstation. With a Mac you get stability, but at the price of flexibility or "choices" when it comes to choosing your hardware. Then again there is the price of a Mac. I won't say it really played any part in my descision, but it cannot be ignored. Macs are overpriced, the hardware you get on a Mac is equivalent to the hardware you get on a PC for 300 - 400 Euro less and for some people that is a very important consideration. For me part of the fun of a computer is building the thing - spending time looking through all the available options & deciding what to get to build my machine out of. I take pride in the result & pleasure out of the proccess. I would not get any of that with a Mac. So I guess you could say I stayed away from Macs due to my desire to be free.

Why XP? Well, it has been on the market for years, all the applications I want to use on windows work with XP, it has proven itself to be stable enough for my needs - and after all - the way things are going I don't see myself using Windows for much more than gaming any more. That is what Windows has become for me - a gaming OS.  :)

So, how is it like to live with Linux???

Simply amazing! I am not entirely new to Linux, however I consider myself a novice. My first experiences where in the late 1990's using Debian, Mandriva (Then called Mandrake) and Suse. Things were not as easy to configure back then, but I installed them on a couple of computers and the only one that proved to be difficult to get up & running - even back then - was Debian, which had decided it did not like my Nvidia graphics card & refused to run the X Server stably. A while spent editing the configuration files fixed that of course, but it took time. Since then I have rarely had the oportunity to use Linux for an extended period of time, up until recently.

I chose Ubuntu for its reputation as being a "User friendly Linux OS" with a very large and active user base / community and because I had had a few chances to try previous versions of it out on test machines over a period of a few months. It installed without any problems and proceeded to recognise all my hardware installing the appropriate drivers for each component. The only thing currently still not working is my webcam, though that is probably because I've not spent enough time figuring out how to get it connected. My machine has been running Ubuntu for almost 4 months now, with no more than 10 hours spent in Windows (Due to gaming). I have had the occasional lockup, (As far as I can tell, it was due to a Flash Plugin bug with Mozilla Firefox, which seems to have been resolved with an upgrade to the latest Flash version), and 1-2 marginal failures of compiz fusion - during which the desktop environment lost some of its settings, but nothing that could not be cured instantly by logging out & back in again. Compiz-Fusion is a work in progress still, so I am not surprised by the fact that it has the occassional bug or two. On the whole I have absolutely no problems with Ubuntu and I know there are many more things it has to offer me - if I take the time to explore deeper.

For anyone out there thinking of switching over to Linux, I have the following to advise:

• Make sure that you have someone knowledgeable around to help you out if things need a bit of tweaking (Configuration settings, etc, etc).
• If possible make a dual boot installation or get someone to make one for you, so that you can fall back to your more familiar windows installation if you come across problems or simply need to get something done in windows for which you have not yet found a linux alternative.
• Be patient and spend as much time as possible reading up about the various features of linux & the ways you will have at your disposal to get your every-day tasks done.
• If you need / want to use some specific program then you might want to check if it can be used through "Wine" on Linux. You will be amazed at how many windows programs can actually be used through it.
• Check out a variety of Linux flavours before you choose the one you want to install on your machine. My experience with Ubuntu has been very satisfying, but you might prefer an alternative flavour of linux. For someone starting out I would suggest either Suse or Mandriva. However you might want to check out various other flavours and a good place to do so is at DistroWatch.com

Από tidur @ Σάββατο, 4 Οκτωβρίου 2008 2:31 μμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

I guess it's about time I wrote a few words here, to keep things slightly up-to-date.

I've been wondering recently why I actually write this blog. Do I even want someone to actually read it? Or is it just a place for me to write down my thoughts so I can see them at a later date and reflect upon them. If that's the case, then why have I choosen such a public place, to make my feelings & thoughts known? In any case, that is not something I have a clear answer for at the moment.

Recently I have been feeling tired. Not just physicaly, but mentaly. A feeling, reaching down under my skin, into my very bones.
It's my mind, desperatly trying to hold everything together and straining under the pressure of my feelings. I feel like I've been streched to my limits and am somehow existing beyond them. Almost as if I'm loosing my grip on the world around me. I've been trying to use my mind to control my emotions, desires & thoughts for so long, that nothing inside my soul seems to work normaly anymore.

Why am I here? How is it that no matter how hard I try, I always end up being the one who is left on his own at the end?

It feels almost as if there is nothing left inside me. I know I will wake up in a few hours, but why? To go on for another day?
Am I really 'here' for anyone, or do I just happen to exist, in the same way that a rock does somewhere in space. Not for a reason, but just because it happens to be there...

It is my birthday in a few days. My birthday.... I will have been here for 26 years.
A flood of memories, some good, some bad.
But one thing is constant............. *alone* - always alone.

I wish I could find someway to explain it, or at least to understand it. Instead I'm stuck here, trying to survive by covering my pain with anger & rage.
I did not want this, I still don't - but I wonder, even if I was now given the chance to love & be loved, would I be able to do it?
I fear this might be the start of another fall... they are becoming too frequent.
Never before have I had this many in such a short period...

It must be that I have no-one but myself to blame, but I have to find out / undestand what it is that I'm doing to cause this.

Από tidur @ Κυριακή, 30 Σεπτεμβρίου 2007 5:37 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

So, here we are...
After a what seemed like an eternity of going out every night and partying untill the morning September is finally here.
Even though you cannot really tell by the weather, which is still very hot, almost unbearably so during the mid-day hours, you can easily spot the difference at night time.
I was working at Jukebox tonight for what has to be the 2nd worst night I've seen there recently. The entire town of Agia Galini seems to have rapidly died down just after August. Its on nights like this that I can easily tell it has been 2 years since I DJ'd on a regular basis.
I hate trying to play music to a virtualy non-existant audience. In fact I find it almost impossible since there is nothing to drive me or guide me as to what to play, so I end up constantly returning to house/trance music which is almost the only thing I feel relatively comfortable with under such circumstances.
A few of my friends have come over from Heraklion today so hopefully we shall all be meeting up tomorrow to go to the beach which should be fun & since I'm not working at the club again tomorrow night, I can hopefully get some work done.
I should get as much as possible done over the next few days because it won't be long now before I have to go back into the army for 5 days of what I would jockingly refer to as "re-training" - as if I was ever trained in the 1st place!
There should be a number of changes coming along over the next few months, hopefully I will find time to post about them here.
Most of the changes will be job-related since I am now no longer affiliated with Webman and have decided to start out on my own, for better or for worse.
Anyhow, this post will be coming to an end now, mostly because of the fact that my laptop's battery is about to die on me, and I'm too lazy to go into the other room & get the power cable! :)

Από tidur @ Τετάρτη, 5 Σεπτεμβρίου 2007 4:56 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

It has been a realy long time since my last post. Then again, I don't really spend much time in front of a computer during the summer.
Something about living on Crete means that during the summer months you can't really stay indoors. It is nearly impossible.

This summer has come and gone in what seams like a heartbeat. It is now the 25th of August, the celebration of Agios Titos, the village's
largest festival of the year and that is the reason I'm writting this entry at 07:00am in the morning.

I've fallen again this summer, yet another time that my heart has let me down.
It is never easy for me to lose someone I care for, even worse when I have to see her in someone else's arms right in front of me, but at least in this case I had the sence he could make her happy. Even so it was hard to keep going on some occasions, but then again... I'm getting used to the cruel jokes my life plays on me.

Luckily I'm surrounded by friends. Good friends, who tolerate the fact I never tell them why I'm in pain, or what my pain is caused by, and just stand by my side and make me feel better. Everything would be so much harder, nearly impossible without them....

Yet again I found a girl I really care for and for yet another time I loose her to someone else. Almost as if the universe is shouting out to me "you are designed and destined to be alone!". I hate the feeling and it is all too familiar to me....

So, here comes the winter and with it an opportunity to get some serious work done. I have to, cause things are getting out of hand at the moment, too much work has built up while I've been trying to drink my pain and fustration away. I actually feel in the mood to work again, to dive into my code and leave all other things behind. Today is the 25th of August, the last day of the village festival of Agios Titos. After this most ppl, myself included, consider that the summer period has ended. There is no longer much reason to go out and it is time to start preparing for the winter. So time to get things done...

And on a final note, I'm getting really tired of this, being alone all the time, like a huge weight on my back that I have to lift every day.
A weight on my mind and on my soul...........

Από tidur @ Σάββατο, 25 Αυγούστου 2007 7:30 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

Dedicated to a certain someone, whose name shall go unmentioned...

"Εδά που δεν είμαστε παιδιά,
μα γίναμε μεγάλοι,

δε φτάνει μόνο εσύ να'χεις καρδιά,
και ας είναι και μεγάλη,

μονο πρέπει να θυμάσαι,
πως έχουνε και άλλοι..."

You don't have to be heartless to hurt those around you,
but you have to be heartless not to get hurt by those around you.

Από tidur @ Τρίτη, 12 Ιουνίου 2007 5:18 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

I have just finished the career mode of NFS Carbon. It didn't take long. In fact I don't think I've ever finished a game in the NFS series so quickly before. The cars are nice, but the game has proved to be quite dissapointing in a few areas.

First of all the handling of NFS Most Wanted is still around, so control of your car seems sluggish and non-responsive some of the cars don't seem to be customizable (Unless I have not yet unlocked them properly). I'm referring to cars such as Audi LeMans Quattro, Lamborghini Murcielago ect, ect.

Of course the most annoying omission from the game is the local area network gaming option. Why the hell would EA be stupid enough to leave out such an important feature from an otherwise quite enjoyable game? One of the greatest things about NFSU 2 was the ability to have a LAN game. The ability to get together with some friends and go screaming round the circuits of the game kept the game alive long after we had all completed the career mode. I'm not interested in playing online, I know for a fact that there are thousands of other people who are also not interested in playing online, especially since in Greece ADSL is not yet commonplace. The fact that this feature is missing from the game means that I will not probably hardly ever play the game again. I hope that there is enough public outcry about this missing feature to make EA think twice about leaving it out again!

Από tidur @ Πέμπτη, 7 Ιουνίου 2007 1:47 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα

I have had my N73 for quite a while now and all in all, I'm quite pleased with the phone.
I've not had many hanging issues, in fact hardly any and appart from the joystick once comming unstuck on me, I've not really had any other hassle from the phone.

Recently however I noticed my ringtones slowing down dramaticaly, or the fact that the phone was in fact playing a different ringtone than the one it was surpossed to (Quite annoying).

After a bit of searching around I finally managed (I think), to find the source of the problem.
It seems this behaviour is caused by having the 3D sound options enabled on the phone.
It also seems that quite a few of the N* series of Nokia phones suffer from this issue and it can quite often be resolved by turning off all the 3D sound options.
It certainly seems to have worked for me at least, since after quite a few test calls the phone has not gone "nutty" on me again.

So... if you are experiencing the same issue on a N* series Nokia phone, you might want to try turning off your 3D sound options. (It's not like they are useful anyhow!)

Hope this helps some of you out there :)

(UPDATE)

The issues the phone had were not corrected after all, they all still occur, though I have no idea how. I will take the phone for a software upgrade in the hope that it will sort out the issue and prevent it from occuring again. I'll post about the result after I've had it done.

Από tidur @ Τετάρτη, 4 Απριλίου 2007 1:47 πμ | Permalink | Σχόλια | links (0)
Tags: Αταξινόμητα