Computer Engineering- Culminating Activity Blog: November 2014

After many disastrous attempts at installing Debian 7.7 and having it freeze when loading the "Detecting Hardware" screen, I finally realized I was what would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis, (If anyone doesn't get this Big Bang Theory reference I shall be thoroughly upset) until I could figure out what was wrong because no matter how many times I restarted the install, graphic or advanced installation mattered naught, it would not work.

Giving up momentarily I switched to another Linux flavor called Zorin 9.0, which I had seen one of my friends have on their computer and thought had a nice set up. This Operating System decided to love me and install without a hitch, Well. Almost without a hitch. Once again a piece of hardware wasn't operating correctly. The wireless card. My first thought was obvious, like we were taught in class, find the drivers. Well. I, along with one of my friends, searched and searched and searched for the appropriate driver. Looking in countless forums and websites to no avail, It was mutually decided that the wireless card would HAVE to come out and be replaced at a later date. (As the tower is currently connected to the internet using an RJ-45 cable, but wireless capability is needed in the future)

A little while later the crypt of a tower was opened and the Linksys Wireless card was excavated from its tomb of dust, which was promptly blown out in the wood shop room next door with normal everyday compressed air, not carbon dioxide, which for some reason beyond me is what certain people believe that compressed air is completely made of. (Air is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, with traces of other elements and compounds such as Carbon Dioxide, Argon, and Methane.)

Round two of Debian 7.7 was then initiated. It would have been possible to keep Zorin as my Operating System but as was explained to me, Debian was set up to handle servers, and with my computer's main purpose being to handle a server, I thought it was best to switch back if possible. I guess all the finger crossing worked after all, it installed and didn't report any errors. Now it was onto the exciting stuff! Installing Apache2, MySQL, and PHP5. (Also known as a LAMP stack, the 'L' standing for Linux.)

One thing that I learned very quickly in Linux was that installing or modifying files was slightly different than your usual double-click the icon and press okay/next without looking until it starts installing. Instead the most efficient way to run the system is to use the terminal (or the root terminal so you don't have to authorize yourself as the root user, also called super user, every time) using commands such as:
su -- root/super user permission
chmod -- changing the permissions of a file
apt-get install [file name]-- Finding, extracting and installing said file
cd/ -- changing the current directory that you are working in
ls -- lists content of current directory that you are working in
etc.

Following instructions given on the links in my introductory post (Yes the one with three links for the same thing, I'm over-prepared like that) and using simple terminal commands, installed all three previously mentioned programs with little fuss. Unfortunately I don't have much to chatter on about here, I sat there and let the computer do its thing at that point.

Now for the kinda interesting part, SilverStripe! SilverStripe is an open-source CMS, or to make it less complicated because it's morning and I don't want to explain the technical details, a website creator. Now. Do not get it mixed up with Weebly or Blogspot or those kind of fixed 'Website Builders'. You know the bottom footer where it advertises their service on your website? With open source you literally open the footer file and cut it out, or replace it with whatever you want it to say. (Yes, I am going to have lots of fun with this thing) You can customize any and every aspect of your website with simple HTML skills, which in my case are a work in progress.

Moving onto the actual installation progress. Now I have to honestly say I'm not sure if I did it the technical way that the instructions show but it worked regardless so I shall attempt to explain how I did it. Going to the download page of the official SilverStripe we download the .tar file. Once we find the file in the downloads we transfer it to the /var/www folder where we then go to the terminal where we use various commands to find the setup file, extract it, and then run it using the web browser. After going through the usual enter username, password, retype password but it probably won't work just to make you type it in again because we love making things longer, we got to the "problems" screen. Where with slight assistance, 'chmod' was used to change read-only folders to writable ones for the program to use. Following that, more entering passwords and all that fun stuff, and then BAM! Loads your webpage for you to sign in and start messing around until you either make a website or completely screw it up! (You generally want to cross your fingers for the first one)

I think this is the longest thing I've ever wrote at once besides an essay, so I'm going to stop before I give my wrists Carpal Tunnel. My next post will be my attempt to explain how SilverStripe works and a few modifications I have already made to my website.

Cheers,

Lindsay

Computer Engineering- Culminating Activity Blog

Wednesday 19 November 2014

Two Disastrous Successful Culminating Days Later...

Friday 7 November 2014

Introduction and Brief Explanation