Installing CTF MEG Suite on Ubuntu Linux 11.04 (64-bit)

by Forrest Sheng Bao http://fsbao.net

Steps:

1. install necessary packages

   sudo apt-get install rpm alien enscript xprint python-dialog libmotif4 lesstif2 libstdc++5

   optional, do this on 64-bit system:
   

   sudo apt-get install ia32-libs

2. Mount the CTF software ISO

   sudo mount ctf-5.2.1.iso -o loop /mnt/cdrom

3. Run the installation script.

   sudo bash /mnt/cdrom/CTF.install

   Please note that the sudo is unnecessary if you do not install CTF software suite onto a directory which requires root privilege, such as default installation path /opt/ctf/
   
   Type "y" for all questions. You will be asked a question about the hardware like this

   Select which electronics system is in use.
   
   CTF_MEG2000 -- Contains  DSQ-2041/DSQ-2043 DSP bank with DSQ-2010 SQUID Channel Units 
                  and rack mounted ADC/Trigger units
   CTF_MEG2005 -- Contains  DSQ-2041/DSQ-2043 based DSP bank with DSQ-2010 SQUID Channel Units
                  and desktop Electronic Control Console
   
   Select "Skip" to skip installation of electronics specific files.
   
   1) CTF_MEG2000
   2) CTF_MEG2005
   3) Skip
   Select electronics system version :3
   

   Unless you are installing on a computer that controls the MEG scanner, select 3 to skip.
   
4. download libXm.so.3 from http://kurage.nimh.nih.gov/meglab/Meg/Ubuntu and put it in your library loading path, e.g.,
   

   sudo wget http://kurage.nimh.nih.gov/library/Meg/libXm.so.3 -O /usr/lib32/libXm.so.3
   

5. (optional) Add your CTF installation path into Linux environment variable $PATH, e.g.,

   echo export PATH="$PATH":/opt/ctf/bin >> ~/.bashrc

   
   Log out and log in again. Or

   source ~/.bashrc

   
   I do not like to change system-wide configuration files. So I set the PATH.bashrc. But this is not mandatory.
   
   
6. All set! I don't know why i can never make ControlCenter display any botton on its main interface but my colleagues can always. But I really don't bother it. I simply run each individual program in CTF MEG Suite.

PDFtk: the (free) PDF editor for Linux, and Mac OS X, and FreeBSD, and Windows, and Solaris

by Forrest Sheng Bao http://fsbao.net

I have been searching for a free software on Linux that can remove pages from a PDF file for me. Now I have found it. And I found it has many cool features. 

It is called PDFtk. If I wanna remove the first and the last page of a 10-pages pdf, all i need to do is this:

pdftk old.pdf cat 2-9 output new.pdf

The project website is http://www.pdflabs.com/tools/pdftk-the-pdf-toolkit/

Here is a simple tutorial: http://www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/442414-manipulating-pdfs-with-the-pdf-toolkit

How much does an OEM WIndows 7 license cost?

For quite a long time, I have been wondering how much does the OEM Windows 7 license cost, because the ``free as in free beer'' of Linux for consumers may not be really appealing if they buy Windows via purchasing a new computer. 

Last night, I couldn't tolerate the poor graphic adapter of my Dell Mini 10 netbook any more. So i started looking for a replacement and I found this to answer my question:

The only differences between the two Dell Vostro 130's are the OS and hard drive. The price difference between a 250GB/5400RPM mobile hard drive and a 320GB/7200RPM mobile hard drive could be around $20 - if you buy online.

Conservatively, I would estimate the cost of a Windows 7 Home Premium OEM license is between $50 to $80. Please note that Dell will charge you extra $70 to upgrade from Windows 7 Home Premium to Business Professional.

Could 15 minutes of trying Ubuntu save you 15% on your IT cost? - For those who do not live in the US, don't get nervous if you can't feel this question funny.