Adventure with Virtualenv

In the python development world, people are using virtualenv, to isolate their python development environment from their system. Why that is cool,

• You don't conflict with the global python library. Because all new library will be in the isolated environment, on linux many software uses python
• Then you have a fine grain control of what library is needed what is not, for each environment. 
• Because all of the cool pythonista use that...ok that is not quite true, but many python based project strongly recommend using virtualenv, such as turbogears. 
• and some tools are available for this, such as pip. 
• It make it more easier to move project between directory

Lets get started,
here I assume that python setuptools is installed, i assume each project is one environment
to install, just run below as administrator.

easy_install -U virtualenv

 To start a project

virtualenv projectname

This will setup an environment, with their own setuptools.
Let start using it

 source projectname/bin/activate

and it should have the whole python environment there, isolated from the system. including python, their own site-packages

To stop using it

deactivate

To totally isolate from the system, start a new project by

virtualenv --no-site-packages projectname

 It will not use library from the system.

Some tools already begin to support virtualenv. Such as pip, a replacement for easy_install, with uninstall support. To use pip with virtualenv

pip -E projectname packagename

So, virtualenv is now the requirement of most project now. Time to learn it...

What I really working on

I am currently with a local startup, which don't want to be named. Our goal is to increase local usage of local content, to build a content company that conform to the local culture, and not letting the foreigner corrupt our beloved local culture!!!

We can't really tell what we really try to do, we can however show our technology stack, which we all really proud of :) and hopefully certain information minister would be proud too.

OS

We previously use Ubuntu, because african culture is OK, until they plan to put in a music store. That shows that Ubuntu really foreign company that try to corrupt our culture, we cannot allow that.

After much consideration, we going to move to Linux From Scratch, so that we can really check what we want to add and what not to add. We must not allow the westerner have a chance.

Which hopefully we don't need to rewrite an OS, because we really can't, because the lecturer in universiti never taught us that.

Web development

We originally plan to use python and django, now we know, python is really named after Monty Python, and Django, is named after Django Reinhardt, a jazz guitarist.

Two western media that will corrupt our mind, we cannot allow a joke on Spam to ruin us, you know Spam is a serious problem, how can you make it into a joke?? Django Reinhardt is a jazz guitarist, malaysian must not listen to that, no we must watch wayang kulit and all malaysian thing.

To minimize that, we will use haskell, precisely with happstack. because it does not show too much of the western culture.

Conclusion
It is hope that by starting from the technical level, we can be a content company that is suitable for the local culture.

changed: droping the minister name

Happy Document Freedom Day

Have you ever
1) Cannot read a file after you switch a software,
2) as if you can switch software
3) Someone send you a file that you cannot read,
4) Not without a proprietary software
5) assuming that the software is still available,


This would not happen if everyone stick with Open Standard and Open Documents.
Why?

• If the software not available for a variety of reason, people can build a reader/writer program to read your file
• A vendor will not take advantage of you, aka over pricing software etc
• A file(pictures,email etc) belongs to you, don't let people stop you from reading it.
  

So tell your friend, your co-worker, your boss, family, everyone about the importance of Open Standard, and Open Document.

http://www.documentfreedom.org/

Post TEDxKL

First thing first, i forget to bring my camera along, EPIC FAIL....
so bear with me

For those that follows TED, TED is a conference with the tagline, Idea Worth Sharing. TEDx is a TED, but independently organized. KL already have 2 TEDx, this year it is held in Microsoft Auditorium in KLCC, which have a fantastic view of KL(sorry no pics)

This year the speaker comes from a variety of background, includes mountaineer, ceo, designer, teacher, etc.

One can't help but immersed in the stories and photos of mountains climbed by Surech Kuppusamy.
Touched by Yvonne Foong on her story with Neurofibromatosis
Amazed at things Peter Nicols on helping the homeless + poor people in KL.
Entertained by Afzal Abdul Rahim's eye opening talk on Malaysian Broadband.
Enlightened by the a few piece of history of Graphic Design in malaysia by Ezrena Marwan
Knowing how the mind works with Urmilah Dass
Look into the world via photos of Aloha Livina.
and finally a reminder of thing that malaysian should do by Pete Teo.

All the talk is enlightening, sure open my eyes to the world. It is certainly a event worth going. I am looking forward to the next one.

p.s To the organizer of tedxkl, nice work for everyone. Looking forward to the next one

From tedxkl

We got a good crowd down here, we have the usuals from barcamp malaysia. And interestingly a few guy from python.my

Then we have techies and other demography.

Things will be interesting here tedxkl

p.s sorry for no pictures, probably will link to someone's.

btw the tag is tedxkl, the hashtag for twitter is #tedxkl

http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23tedxkl