Linux Tips #14



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*1. REAL-TIME COMPUTING--THE ECOS OPERATING SYSTEM                 
        
eCos (Embedded Cygnus Operating System) is an open-source and
 easily configurable operating system ideal for embedded
 systems. eCos is targeted at high-volume applications in
 consumer electronics, telecommunications, automotive, and
 similar deeply embedded applications. However, it is less
 favorable as a desktop real-time operating system. eCos can be
 configured at the source-level with more than 200 configuration
 points to exactly match application needs. In its smallest
 configuration, it requires only 4 kilobytes of RAM and ROM in
 total. You can find information on eCos and download its
 source code from 

http://www.cygnus.com/ecos/index.html


*2. THE REAL TIME LINUX ORGANIZATION                 
        
The Real Time Linux Organization serves as a resource for the
 real-time Linux community. It provides an arena for discussions
 among users of the real-time Linux variants. The Real Time
 Linux Organization Web site is at 

http://www.realtimelinux.org/


*3. .tgz format instead of .rpm.

Dusty from OK wanted to know how to install Linux files that come
 in .tgz format instead of .rpm. RPM is the Redhat Package
 Manager and .rpm files are binary files packaged in such a way
 that they can be easily installed with an RPM program. RPM works
 with Redhat, Debian, and its derivatives. But not all software
 authors take the time to create RPMs. Many programs are
 distributed as source code, not compiled binaries. That means
 YOU'LL have to compile and install them by hand. Fortunately,
 most of these programs come with make files that will automate
 the process.

Let's say you've downloaded the exciting new program tarball.tgz.
 Start by logging in as root using the su command. Now untar and
 unzip the files with the following command:

tar zxvf tarball.tgz

In most cases this will create a new directory called tarball. cd
 to the directory and look for installation instructions. In most
 cases you'll type the following commands one after another...

./configure
./make
./make install

Configure checks to see that you have all the files and libraries
 you'll need and modifies the make file appropriately. Make
 invokes the C compiler to create the binary files, and make
 install puts them where they belong. As more and more "real
 people" use Linux, you're likely to see fewer tarballs and more
 RPM files.


*4. KPSQL                 
        
KPSQL is a tool similar to Oracle's Server Manager motif
 worksheet and Microsoft's SQL Server iSQL query. KPSQL is an
 open source product distributed under the GPL license. Among the
 features of KPSQL are syntax highlighting, support for drag and
 drop, HTML table output for query results, and execution of
 multiple SQL statements. You can download KPSQL and find more
 info about its features and requirements at 

http://www.mutinybaysoftware.com/products.html


*5. How to Install Software

Jason from Kesseltown, WV just installed Linux on his machine and
 wonders how to install software that doesn't come already
 compiled. That's one of the problems with Linux - it expects
 more of you than Windows. In this case, you'll have to compile
 the source code into binary files you can actually run. The
 first place to look for help is the INSTALL text file that comes
 with all such programs. You can get general help on all Linux
 topics from the Linux Documentation Project
 http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/LDP/. Make sure to read Mendel
 Cooper's HOW-TO on "Building and Installing Software Packages
 for Linux."

http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/LDP/HOWTO/Software-Building-HOWTO.html


*6. THE LINUXTOPIA WEB SITE                 
        
The Linuxtopia Web site was created for people who use Linux on
 the desktop--newbies and experienced users alike. The main goal
 of Linuxtopia is to provide a virtual community where users can
 learn about Linux and find related links, news, articles,
 questions and answers, and software. You can find the Linuxtopia
 Web site at 

http://www.linuxtopia.com


*7. THE JED PROGRAMMER'S EDITOR                 
        
The Jed programmer's editor provides emulations for the following
 editors: emacs, VAX/VMS EDT, Wordstar, Brief, and Borland's IDE.
 Jed features include color syntax highlighting, folding, and
 drop-down menus. Additional information about Jed is
 available at 

http://space.mit.edu/%7Edavis/jed.html 

Jed is an open source product. You can download its source code
 and executable files from 

ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/davis/jed/


*8. THE OMNIORB2 OBJECT REQUEST BROKER                 
        
omniORB2 is a CORBA 2.1-compliant object request broker (ORB)
 developed by AT&T Laboratories, Cambridge. omniORB2 and its
 libraries are open source products distributed under the GNU GPL
 terms. The C++ to CORBA mapping of omniORB2 conforms to CORBA
 2.3. You can find more info about omniORB2 and download it from 

http://www.uk.research.att.com/omniORB/omniORB.html


*9. THE DISPLAY GHOSTSCRIPT SYSTEM                 
        
The Display GhostScript System (DGS) provides a
 device-independent imaging model for displaying information and
 graphics on a screen, regardless of display-specific details
 like screen resolution and color issues. The imaging model of
 DGS uses the PostScript language, which has powerful
 graphics capabilities. 

DGS is composed of a PostScript language interpreter called
 GhostScript, the client library, and the pswrap translator. The
 pswrap translator enables you to take PostScript programs and
 wrap them with a C function interface, thereby allowing your
 applications to call them directly. DGS is available at 

ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/dgs/


*10. THE BRAVE GNU WORLD ONLINE MAGAZINE                 
        
Brave GNU World is a multilingual monthly column that provides
 information about internal developments of the GNU Project and
 GNU community. It is available online at 

http://www.gnu.org/brave-gnu-world/ 

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a mailing list to be informed
 of new issues as soon as they are released.
