Emacs: Cannot open termcap database file

I recently created a virtual machine running Ubuntu Server 9.04. I downloaded Emacs from CVS and proceeded to configure, build and install it from source in that little VM of mine. Then when I went to run Emacs, I got the error "Cannot open termcap database file."

You may be interested to know that this is actually a common problem in a No X installation of Ubuntu Server. There is an easy fix for this problem: install the package libncurses5-dev which will provide the file termcap.h. Then compile Emacs again and everything should work normally with it as the default editor in your server.

Rastafarian Software

This is an instant classic. Rasta Code:

    while (love & passion) {
        for (fight = 0; rights < freedom; rights++) {
            fight = standup(rights);
        }
        free(babylon);
    }

Check it out here: http://rastasoft.org/

Response to Jason Calacanis Essay - The Case Against Apple

Today I was reading an essay that Jason Calacanis wrote and distributed to his mailing list. Fortunately, he posted the piece on his blog also. I have signed up for the list and will be receiving new installments on my inbox.

I think that Jason hit the nail right on the head with the essay. Apple is becoming Evil and they are "cramping everyone's style," as Jason so eloquently puts it. I recommend you read the full essay for all of the details, as Jason has a clear and concise style for getting his point across.

The reason I am posting this entry is because Jason has 3 questions to ask his readers at the end of the essay. Here are my answers:

1. Do you think Apple would be more, or less, successful if they adopted a more open strategy (i.e. allowing other MP3 players in iTunes)?
   
   The short answer, from a consumer point-of-view, is that I think Apple would be more successful by being more open.
   
   However, Apple is a very large company ($147 billion according to Google finance) and steering the company in a new direction is like steering an oil tanker, it takes time, patience and effort, no matter how competent you may be. This is true for every large company, but sometimes big companies can be a lot more agile than we imagine.
   
   If I was at the realm at Apple, I would push this situation all the way to the tipping point and try to get the most out of it. Then when the DOJ comes knocking, I would rush to settle the situation with a deal. This modus operandi has been used before by Intel and others and most of the companies that tried it got away with just a slap on the wrist.



2. Do you think Apple should face serious antitrust action?
   
   Absolutely, and I don't think that Apple will change their behavior until the Department of Justice gets involved.



3. Do you think Apple’s dexterity and competence forgive their bad behavior?
   
   Absolutely not, but I do think that those characteristics will serve them well when they need to placate the ire of the Attorney General of the United States. And it'll also allow them to quickly implement any changes based on any deals with the DOJ.

Thanks, and don't forget to read Jason's essay.

Launchy: Game Changer

Context switching is the productive killer. Every time I have to reach for the trackball while I'm engrossed in a task that requires the keyboard, I lose whatever focus I had on that task. The few fractions of a second that it takes to reach the trackball are irrelevant. The change in context is the actual killer of my productivity.

That's one reason why I love Emacs and won't use any other text editor. Emacs is a modeless text editor and you can accomplish any task in it by using certain key chords in your keyboard, which translates to a completely mouse free experience. I have spent much time thinking about how to translate the Emacs experience to the whole graphical user interface paradigm and the answer has been staring me in the face the whole time.

So the question has been "How can I be most efficient in a graphical desktop environment?" and I have known that the answer was to get rid of the mouse since I started using Emacs several years ago. But how do you do that... The pillar of the desktop paradigm is the pointing device. I think I found the answer and it's a type of utility called the Application Launcher.

My recent epiphany was pure luck: Windows 7 does away with the Quick Launch toolbar as I known it up to Windows Vista. In retrospect, the quick launch toolbar paradigm couldn't be more inefficient: miniscule 16 by 16 pixel icons lined up on a toolbar that's not much bigger. Talk about a violation of Fitt's Law. I was too addicted to the quick launch paradigm to be able to accept and use anything else, but Windows 7 forced me to find an alternative.

Launcher tools have been around for a while and the first time I heard of them was in an article about QuickSilver for OS X. There are definitely variations on the application launcher theme and I even installed Gnome Do on a Linux laptop I had laying around a little while back. So I installed Launchy (it seems to be the most popular launcher for Windows) on my Windows 7 work laptop and decided to give it a real try.

It took about an hour of using Launchy on my work laptop running Windows 7 to shift to the Application Launcher paradigm and be amazed at the results. It's been a few days and I am still learning all that Launchy can offer, but one thing is certain: there is a great likelihood that Launchy will completely change the way I work and interact with a computer from now on.

There is a small amount of configuration and setup that you can do to Launchy to teach it where to look for your stuff. Launchy has a concept of a Catalog, which is a collection of locations and file types that it will look at when you want to accomplish something. If Launchy is missing a feature you need, you are empowered to write your own Launchy plugin and fix your problem right then and there.

Launchy also uses a Verb/Subject analogy to accomplish useful things. For instance, use the Alt and Spacebar keystroke to bring up Launchy, then type in "fire" for Firefox and hit the Tab key. Then type in the URL twitter.com and hit Enter. This launches Firefox on twitter.com. You can do the same thing to open a file in Emacs. And you never leave the keyboard.

I am sure there are ways to activate the Quick Launch toolbar in Windows 7, but I'm glad that I decided to give a Launchy a real try. I am pleasantly surprised by the results so far.