Releasing: Gurbani search for mobile

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Gurbani searching on the mobile used to be tough. Symbian and Android phones do not support Unicode with Indic support, which is required to use gurmukhi websites. Opera Mini allowed us to read gurbani, but entering search text is a different matter.

I have developed a web page that allows you to do this, but rather by entering roman letters. For example, enter ‘k’ instead of ‘ਕ’.

To use this go to: http://tinyurl.com/gfind.

GFind
GFind

Mobile users can use this within Opera Mini (with a configuration setting change as shown here: enter config: as a URL which takes you to advanced settings page. Set Use bitmap fonts for complex scripts to Yes and then Save), for best results. Opera Mini uses cloud computing to render Gurmukhi text, and therefore doesn’t need that support on the mobile itself.

That being said, this tool can be used anywhere you like – on the desktop or any mobile browser. Detailed instructions for using it are on the page itself.

This is envisaged to be updated in future to allow search options powered by various other websites, as and when more powerful search is available. Click here for a short history of Gurbani search.

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NTML authentication proxy

What would you do if you had a web proxy that requires NTLM, and the software (for example, HTTrack) that needs to connect to the Internet, doesn’t support it? NTML by the way, is an authentication protocol used by Microsoft.

I had this issue, and downloaded a proxy server(APS) that can connect to an NTLM proxy. The given software (HTTrack in this case) needs to connect to this new proxy server. It works flawlessly. You will need to download Python 1.5.2 – which is an older version of Python. The proxy server can only work under that particular version of Python. For example if APS is running on the same machine as HTTrack (port 6000) and your real proxy is on machine NTLMMain, port 9000 – enter ‘NTLMMain:9000’ as configuration for APS, and enter ‘localhost:6000’ in HTTrack configuration.

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Installing Knoppix within Windows

There are some problems if you try to install Knoppix within MS Virtual PC 2004. This post shows you how to get it right.

Knoppix is a Linux flavour that can run directly off a CD or DVD. All you have to do is boot off the CD and it starts running – it has all the basic applications like Internet Browser, Wordprocessing application etc. If you have FAT partitions, you will also be able to write to the disk.

However, I prefer booting into Windows and then running Knoppix as an application. (Although, I have a separate Debian installation as well for my main Linux needs.)

This can be done through Microsoft Virtual PC. I use the 2004 version dowloadable here. Also you need to have an ISO of the Knoppix CD. If you have a CD, you can make an ISO yourself, or download here.

Start MS VPC 2004, create a virtual harddisk and load the ISO, then reboot the VPC machine. Now follow the instructions below:

  1. Create a new VM with virtual HDD.
  2. Attach the Knoppix ISO to the VM and reboot.
  3. On the Linux prompt type: linux install IGNORE_CHECK=1 sudo knoppix_installer
  4. On the menu that comes, select 3. Partition
  5. When it asks for it, select Template 1
  6. Then back to main menu, select configure installation and accept all defaults
  7. Then back to main menu, select start installation [now it will take time]
  8. When the system boots, mouse wont be working so shut it down (but at least let it open the desktop first). Release the ISO and reboot VPC.
  9. All file edits (required in steps below) will need to be done as root, by doing su first
  10. Now, Grub will come up. On the first line, press e. Then on the next screen select the kernel line and press e. After this, add i8042.noloop at the end and press Enter. Press Esc and Enter.
  11. Select the first option and boot.
  12. After login, edit file /boot/grub/menu.lst and do the following for the first configuration only (one that says Default):
    1. Add i8042.noloop at the end of kernel line
    2. Remove the savedefault line since it causes problems later
  13. Now edit file /etc/sysconfig/desktop and change kdm to xdm
  14. Enter the command ‘reboot’ on the console
  15. Let the system boot, login – mouse will work.
  16. If the user config box comes up fine, else go to Settings->Desktop setting wizard. Now, select India in the first box and English-US in the second and press the first button.
  17. Keep following the wizard. At the end select launch KDE control center.
  18. Go to Regional and accessibility->Keyboard layout and bring up English layout
  19. Done, take backup of the VHD file

Most of the steps should also apply if you want to install Knoppix on a normal HDD. Why we have to go this route – for example why mouse isnt working – beats me. Could be bugs – I have collected all this information from different places on the web, according to the problems I faced. If you know why we have to do this way, please place comments. Also, suggest improvements and let me know if this helped.

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Rupee Devaluation

How do currency exchanges work?

Sometimes there would be news that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to devalue the Rupee. I would interpret “devalue” to mean that the value of Rupee against other currencies has been decreased. However, I also knew that the Rupee changes value everyday and not just those days when there was news from RBI. I would feel curious as to how then the Rupee kept changing its value everyday.

I understood the answer only when I did my MBA. Here is a short summary:

In the good old days, every country would specify its currency in terms of Gold. However, due to the problems associated with this mechanism, especially during times of Gold scarcity – this system was scrapped.

What happens now is that each country chooses what control it wants to have over its currency. It can let the currency float – which means that the market will determine the price based on demand, supply, balance of trade etc. This is the least intrusive method and requires little action from the country’s central bank.

The other is choice the central bank can make is to tie the currency to a fixed set of other currencies. This includes deciding upon a weighted mean formula (based on the currencies in the set) to determine the currency value. All that is needed then, is to find out the values of those currencies on a daily basis and calculate the value of our currency using the formula. This lets the country control its export and import prices to some extent. In such a case, the central bank needs to have the currency partially or fully convertible – and carry out currency exchanges based on the determined formula.

When RBI changes the formula, that is called devaluation – although the rates change daily based on the formula.

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