Unit 6: My Webpage History

To be honest I have been playing with HTML since the early days of the web (depending on your definition of course). In 1994 I was a freshman in high school and we had Netscape on our computers. Some of my classmates and I decided to learn HTML and made a very simple website. This was before CSS or Web 2.0 so interactivity was links and email but it was pretty awesome back then.

Since then I have tinkered with web design but haven’t really honed my skills. In IRLS 504 we were asked to create a simple website and that was cake (I made this while it was begin taught). It wasn’t until IRLS 575 User Interface and Website Design that I got a good refresher and update of web design. The class used the website Codecademy. Our first project for the class was for us to go through all of the lessons modules on the website and show proof of passing them. I got a great refresher and got to update my skills with CSS.

There was one thing I learned more than anything else in that IRLS 575 and that is there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when it comes to code. You don’t need to write webpages from scratch after you know how to write them. Instead of always starting from scratch you can copy and paste code and you reuse or build off of someone else’s (as long as it is open source). I’ve created two final projects from what I learned in that class. Each of them uses the same template but uses them differently. 

Feel free to check them out:

IRLS 520 Ethics for Library and Library Professionals

IRLS 554 Diverse Cultures, Communities & Libraries

Unit 5: Taking in the Information

When it comes to learning I know I am an audio-visual learner. If possible I always want to watch a video and next down the list I would prefer instructions with pictures or an audio file to add to plain text. I am dyslexic and I know that I literally see things a bit different than everyone else. I am constantly switching words out of order when I type comments in a discussion so I need to pre-write all of my dialogue in a text editor with grammar checks to bring my eyes in alignment of the words in check. I also turn all of my readings in class into audio files that I can read along with the writings. I do this with a piece of software called Natural Reader. Much of what we get written is available in a text format or I need to change it to that so I can use my software. Doing the OCR text to audio conversion makes the information easier to digest, just like adding pictures to an instruction manual.

Tech Talk

So of all of the reading and videos we had this we I really enjoyed the videos. I have to admit I didn't get much of out the Ethernet cable video (GetConnected - Tech Talk - Ethernet Cables and Router Speed) At least for right now the information about different types of Ethernet cables is pretty useless for me. Down the road if I’m networking my house if might come in useful.

The History of Ethernet

The video about the creation of Ethernet narrated by Bob Metcalfe (the inventor of Ethernet) was very interesting. I love listening to stories about the creation of technology.  He was the first person in history asked to network a bunch of computer together, which is pretty cool. (The History of Ethernet) I found the titling of Ethernet to be very interesting. It came for the 19^th century and the name was taken from the luminiferous ether  which is the medium between the sun and the earth.

Warriors of the Internet

Lastly it was nice to watch a video about how the internet works and the story is a very interesting narrative. “People and machinery are working together, realizing a dream.” ‘Warriors of the Net’ makes its tale epic when its story takes place in such a small speck of existence. On the other hand, everything that happened between a computer across the vast internet is important to each and every user who sets out to send or load data. It also put this week’s lecture into perspective for me.

Unit 4: New Users

Today was a New User installation extravaganza! In just a few hours I created new users and groups in Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu  Server, and with Webmin. I had a rough start. I was required to change the default Shell directory for new users from /bin/sh to /bin/bash. We were give the command line $ sudo useradd -D -s /bin/bash. Unfortunately it didn’t work. I tried to do it multiple times and even logged out and back on to see if it that would help.

So I did what anyone who really wants to solve a mystery in the command line crime world, I search the web for clues. Everyone mostly pointed out that what I was trying to use in my command was correct. This was not helping so I dove deeper and found a new solution. I could change the useradd file itself. The webpage warned me about the possibility of messing up the system, so I copied the file before entering vi (text editor). The file was quite easy to change all of the changeable attributes were grey. I changed the SHELL=/bin/sh to SHELL=/bin/bash and saved it. I type $ sudo useradd -D and the Shell default was now updated. The mystery was solved and all is well with the world.

My next adventures were a lot easier in comparison to my bash and bin murder mystery. I simply opened Ubuntu desktop and did a search for user. A User panel became available and as soon as I unlocked the window I was allowed to create new users. It was a pretty self-explanatory process. Not much was customizable, but I could decide if the new users were an administrator or not. I was next asked to install Gnome software which would add an additional User and Groups application. In it I could create and delete users and groups. Also I had a lot more options when it came to access for the users and groups I created. Between the two in Ubuntu desktop app’s I think the Gnome addition was a bit more to my liking. I like to being able to do more than most general software normally lets you. I was a bit surprised that the Gnome software didn’t come with Ubuntu initially, but I guess not that many people need those kind of options and those who do can download it.

Lastly I used Webmin. It pretty much looked like router software if you log onto it from a web browser. Using it was pretty self-explanatory and in no time I created both a group and a user I named after my dog Buddy.

This was a fun day and it was nice to play around with so many different applications to do seemly the same thing with GUI and CLI. The start was a bit bumpy, but I’ve noticed that it always is. Just like when you’re about to leave shore with a row boats, someone has to give the boat one last push before the water takes over and the boat takes full float. 

Unit 3: Text Editors using Ubuntu Server

This week in class I got to play around with vi and nano on my virtual Ubuntu Server. I have to admit, the vitutor is a bit overwhelming. It is seven lessons long and after a while you begin to forget previous lessons because of the lesson length. After I finished adventuring in the exciting tutorials I searched on Google for a cheat sheet.(Click here if you would like to see cheat sheet) I know I will not remember most of the terms so I wanted a quick reference guide. Here is the one I came up with.

We were asked to change two documents in the system and I decided if I spent over an hour doing the vi tutorial I should probably use it to do the changes in one. We were told to edit the sources.list file. In the file I needed to delete hash marks and spaces that made it possible for the partner repository to be available. After all of the time I spend learning vi all I need to do was place my cursor above the hash marks and spaces and press the x button. The only part that got confusing was when it was time to save. I mixed up force quitting with quitting and saving. So when I went back into vi I had to redo everything and now I got an error when I tried to quit and save. I has to use the manual save command :w and then I was able to quit with no problem.

In the nano text editor I was asked to add a few lines to the .bashrc system file. Nano is a super simple text editor and I had no problem at all using the arrow keys to move to the bottom of the file and add two line of code that created an alias that tells the system when I type ls or dir to printed out both the regular files and the hidden ones.

For the current assignments neither of the text editors were very hard to use. I

stick with the belief that whatever software gets the job done quicker is the one I prefer to use. I can see vi being faster in the case of manipulating already existent files of code, but to creating something from scratch I definitely think for me personally the nano text editor would be my choice.