MY GSOC APPLICATION

* What is the ultimate goal of your proposal?

	PROPOSAL :
	Thumbnail view in desktop GNOME panel

	The idea is to make a an applet for gnome panel which will allow the desktop 	panel to show thumbnail view of applications running in background or 	foreground as the user moves the mouse over the tabs .
    * What components/modules will it touch/change or create?

• GNOME panel

• Window Selector widget

• Window List widget

• OpenGl

• Compiz

	
    * What benefits does it have for GNOME and its community?

	After its implimentation in gnome , it will provide more pleasing look to the 	gnome and more functionality.
	Not just an eye-candy , thumbnaill view has become an important feature in 	present day operating systems . It allows the user to look quickly into "in" what 	all he is working concurrently. 

    * Why you'd like to complete this particular project?

	GNOME is a highly stable and efficient desktop environment but it lacks some 	of the features compared to other properitory operating system .
	This feature that we suggest, will add a splendid view to GNOME panel.

    * How do you plan to achieve completion of your project?

	We are currently studing the source code of the GNOME panel and have got 	the idea about it. We have tested some minute changes like "tooltip text" on 	mouse hover, and think that a dedicated hardwork over it could get us achieve 	the result.As in KDE, it  keeps the latest thumnails of all the running windows 	in a record, that is it asks Opengl (or XRenderer) to keep the latest thumbnail 	view of all windows (wether hidden or in view). What we will do is that we will 	add this functionality in gnome also. And then we can use the 'Window List' 	applet of the Gnome panel to show this thumbnail whenever the user hovers 	the mouse over it.
	
	TIMELINE/IMPORTANT DATES :-
	We have devided the timeline as set of 5 +1 stages , as follows :- 

	Stage 1: learning the source code, and environment of gnome applets. As this 	is the first time that we are coding for GNOME. It can take a max of 2 weeks
	Stage 2: Writing the actual code to implemetn a small thumbnail viewer. 	(About 1.5 weeks)
	Stage 3: Integrating the viewer to the "Window list" applet. About 1 week.
	Stage 4: Visually enhancing the appearance of the feature.About 1 week.
	Stage 5: Testing and removing inefficient and buggy code...(around 1 week)
	Stage 6 :- Extending and Generalising the concept to gnome, if time 	permits .
	

	P.S. :-As mentioned, we have started our prepration for the project , so i 	suppose the stage 1 time will be shrtened , which we we will use to extend the 	abilities of the code(basically for stage 6 ) 

    * Why do you think you are be the best person to work on this project?

 	We have already got an insight into the project, and  are already on course.We 	have started preliminary works ,so we wont be wasting much of time in 	exploring the options at the time of gsoc.As they say ,starting early is always 	profitable.That gives us edge over others .Above all,this is our idea and  if our 	code becomes the part of gnome , the feeling that our thought(and obviously 	code) is affecting millions across the globe is unmatchable .And that will be our 	biggest motivation. 
	  
    * What are your past experiences (if any) with the open source world?

	This would be my first tryst with the Open source. Aspiration comes with 	ability;For past somone time we have been exploring gnome,what  librarys it 	uses, wrote small scripts in python too, And now I think with proper 	channelized efforts, I might actually pull off an open source project. Open 	source is democracy in software, and it certainly would be a privilege to 	contribute back to the open source community. We feel as if we are not new to 	this open source community 
	
	There is a feature in KDE such that it stores the latest thumbnail view of each 	window(hidden or visible) in a record.What we plan to do is as follows:

	step 1: A small feature is to be added in the 'window list' GNOME desktop 	panel to record mouse hover action.   
	
	step 2: This will call our applet giving it the handle of the window under the 	mouse (be it a hidden window or a visible window.
	
	step 3: The applet will then fetch the updated thumbnail image of the window 	contents.
	
	step 4: This image can then be easily displayed along with the tooltips 

Attaching a sample image of what we want to do with the panel and window selector widget   .

Final result ,see the thumbnail below

New Blog,again

I have another blog www.himzblog.blogspot.com .do visit it and give comments

this word press blog from now on , i will use only for technical writing ,as i felt that two of my articles were not placed properly here . hence the reason for new blog

New Blog

I have made a new blog

www.tekz.co.cc

All the posts here will be posted on that blog too……..

‘D’ for ‘D’elhi or ‘D’ For ……….. ‘D’ENGUE

Now days delhi is in news for all the wrong reasons , may it be Serial Blasts or the Blast of mehrauli two weeks later ,or the Brave encounter of terrorists at Jamia Nagar or the protests of Human (un)Rights Commission against the encounter,Or the Death of BraveHeart M.C.Sharma or the conspiracy surrounding his death . But in all the midst the biggest threat to people of Delhi is somewhat ignored . Yes I am talking of DENGUE .

You must be thinking what such a topic is doing on this blog , or Himanshu has just awaken from the sleep .Well first of all , my midsems are over so i have a lot of time to write for the article. My Uncle picked up Dengue this weekend and was referred to GTB Hospital for treatment from a private clinic after tests confirming his platelet count of 70000(50% of the minimum level). I went to see him today and what i saw there, is my reason for the article.

Let me give some intro about Dengue treatment in Delhi. Dengue in its last stage needs blood to be given to the patient. There are just 10 centres in Delhi where platelet separator machines are available: GTB Hospital, Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, LNJP Hospital, RML Hospital, AIIMS , Safdarjung Hospital, Rotary, Army R&R Hospital, DDU and International Red Cross. GTB caters to most of East Delhi and is very imp. for Dengue cases having the a Blood Bank.

GTB Hospital

I reached there at 10.30 am today(i.e. 28-09-08) and managed to see uncle only by about 1-2 pm .The situation i saw there was horrendous . First of all my uncle was on seventh floor. Most of the patients were on 7th floor only .Every floor had only one ward accept the seventh one which had 10 wards(Ward no. 17-27).Whats the reason of punishing the patients and there realtives ? Also considering the fact that 1-2 lifts work at a time out of 4 (If you are lucky!!!).

Next Comes the interiors of the wards . Two-Two people were put on one bed(Docs say there could be more on one bed too !!!).Imagine the situation you reaching a hospital in utmost pain and you have to share your bed with some one else !!!(leave the fact u can get many contegious diseases from others) Oxygen mask pipes were lying on the floor,coming under the feets of every one passing by . Hygiene was the last thing to look out there .

Hmm this one is interesting .In Dengue the platelets count dips exponentially .Every Second is Precious. So what do you think about the maximum time to get the report of a blood test.By theory itz 2hrs(as docs say).But ground reality min. 4-5 hrs.Even more .

Govt. is very strict for dengue cases ,then also such mishandeling .Why ? Are these cases even registered as dengue cases in govt. hospital registers ? I dont Know, But no doctor has diagonosed my uncle with Dengue there in written ,they just say “Symptoms of Dengue” and “Keep 2-3 people ready for donating blood,he can get in need of it any time”. With this point a Question comes in mind .What is the toll of Dengue cases this summer in Delhi . “Over 500 people have been given blood”, internal people of hospital say (I cant validate it , so dont hang me on this) .But if itz true , then is it reflected in govt. register of dengue cases .

Note : The above statements are only for GTB hospital this summer(Think of whole Delhi yourself) .

If we consider the above statement true then what’s the reason of such a surge in Dengue cases .”Mosquito count has risen a lot after the Yamuna floods ” , a local resident of that area laments. Hasn’t there been some thing done to prevent mosquito growth in water cloggings after the floods.

My uncle’s condition is getting steady and as need of blood donation does not seem likely so we would be shifting him from GTB hospital to some private one soon . But what about rest ??

I am not playing the blame game . There are just too many patients to handle for a single big hospital in East Delhi(East Delhi also hosts lakhs of immigrants, in overlycrowded places like seelampur ,shahdara etc) .So cant Blame on hospitals only. But poor people also have the right to live . They cant afford private treatment. Will Buildig more hospitals do the trick ? I dont think so . There is a lot of mismanagement , which i suppose the root cause for all problems in govt. hospitals . Only 10 hospitals have platelet separator machines in whole of delhi(one for army). Thinking of Dengue only, this number should be increased .

REST IS FOR YOU ALL TO ANALYSE .

CrYsIs-(pC)

Herz sumthing abt d game………..

Crysis™ is a next-generation PC FPS from Crytek, the award-winning developers of Far Cry. A stunning technical achievement, Crysis combines incredible visuals, cunning gameplay and an epic story that challenges gamers to adapt to survive. The battle to save Earth begins as the aliens’ flash freeze the tropics into a ghostly-white frozen landscape. As gamers take up arms against the aliens, they will be outfitted with customisable weapons and a high tech nano-suit(An interesting new concept), allowing them to adapt their tactics and abilities to a hostile, ever-changing environment and a mysterious enemy. Powered by CryENGINE 2™, Crysis delivers the ultimate DX10 gaming experience…….(although i nvr evr feel like) for the PC, including unparalleled graphics, special effects and artificial intelligence. The game is also scaleable to deliver a breath-taking FPS experience for older DX9 PCs.

So all u newcumerz…….herz link to the Crysis-experience

http://common.ea-europe.com/crysis-experience/uk/

TVS APACHE RTR EFI…………….

Well guys finally the wait is over at last. Those who had planned, are planning to buy and were waiting for this beast to be launched well heres the good news, its launched……….after quite some time.

Front View

Well in looks, it is not much different from the 2008 model of Apache RTR, apart from the racing stripes, a blue lcd display and ofcourse a rear disk brake.

Blue LCD display

Rear Disk brake

This bike as we all know features a 159 cc fuel injected engine which belts out 15.7 bhp at 8500 rpm of power, an increase of 0.5 bhp from previous RTR versions, does 0 to 60 kmph in 4.8 sec and 0 to 100 in 17.7 sec. Ex-showroom cost at Rs. 64990 (Delhi).

At this moment only Orange and Yellow colours are available, Titanium Grey will be launched in 2 months.

PS. The images and info on this post have been taken from Vikey.in forums. Please visit for more info.

Lock Any Folder

Well this post must be interest to almost all of us , as we all have our private content which we want to protect from unauthorised persons.If u share your computer at home or office, this tutorial could be of utmost importance to protect ur data from others . Keep your data in a folder and use this tip to lock that folder from being accessed . U dont need any of those expensive software for doing this .

give it a try. Forget the software itz a best way to lock ur files and folder

just give it a try…

1) create a folder in any drive (here D:/)
abc –> (ur files)

2)here in “D:/” create two batch files “lock.bat”, “unlock.bat”. write the following code in it.
In lock.bat
ren abc abc.{0000031D-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
In unlock.bat
ren abc.{0000031D-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} abc

4) place ur personal files inside it. And now press lock.bat in D:, now try opening it. Bingo i think u got it. To unlock click unlock.bat.

Block Websites From Opening

Do you need to block any site from beeing accessed on your computer . Or want to keep check on ur children from accessing explicit content ,or just to play the trick on peers. Watever may be the reason ,this is a good trick , which dont require any firewalls or site bloacking software . Just do this

Block WebSites in Windows XP:

1. Browse to C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc

2. Find the file named “HOSTS” .

3. Open it with Notepad.

4. Add 127.0.0.2 www.sitenameyouwantblocked.com , below 127.0.0.1 localhost line and that site will no longer be accessible.

A Ride on Delhi “Metro”

I am a regular Metro commuter  esp. now when i have to go to attend my training .But today it was a bit different , with many instances and experiences .I could not stop myself from writing about it .

Today i got up a bit late (Thanks to me watching movies till late night ),ending up getting late by about 15-30 mins for my training . But to make the matters worse, it was about 9:15 am, when i boarded up the metro for rajender place ,a PEAK traffic time . Was lucky to get a seat in metro to sit(even though it was rithala ,the station from where metro starts ) .

Metro was a bit unusual today . Four more seats were reserved for “ladies only” in each coach of metro . Man we live in India , where every one runs a rat race to get “reservation” . But that reservation for women had little effect .i did not see any women making any attempt to get their ‘reserved’ seat from men .

Journey till Kashmere Gate was Ok (for me only as i was among some of the priviliged person , having got the seat) . But the real fun was to begin.

Over Crowded Metro

As soon as the gates opened up at kashmere gate people just erupted out of the bottleneck .I was determind to be the last person to get out of the coach (avoiding all those pushes & pops ), but the scene seemed quite humerous . People looked like as if they were being chased by a dinosaur and their only way to be saved was to board the next metro to CP(Rajiv Chauk ) . I slowly reached the basement , for the metro to CP. Frequency of metro at that time was quite good with one metro in 2-3 mins. Then the metro came . Somehow i managed in . There were unlimited number of passengers in the metro . To me it looked more like a Mumbai local than the world class Metro ,of which we were very proud of .

Atmosphere in the coach was filled with different ‘fragrances’ ranging from that of sweat , to smell of hair oils .Acs were working fine  but its effect were nullified partly by the scorching Delhi summers and mainly due to the coach being over crowded .I was sweating like anything . At next station more people came in . In her pursuit to get in quickly a 100 KG ‘Bulldozer’ stepped over my feet with her heels. Thanks to my heavy duty shoes my feet were saved .In the scheme of sudden rush of people at Chawri Bazaar ,some how one of the four girls standing to my right was pushed quite close to me,the last thing a boy can think of when he’s sweating like i was . I got nervous(God only if i could i would have poured a full bottle of deo over me) .  Some how i managed for the next three stations.

Like i was pushed in at Kashmere gate , i was pushed out ‘automatically’ at CP . Actually Kashmere Gate and CP form the intersection of two lines each , and thus cater to maximum traffic .

From Cannought Place(CP) I boarded the metro for Rajender Place. The ride was much better this time ,me being able to get myself in a very comfortable position to ‘stand’ . Rajender place is only four stations apart from CP. But this small route provides you with a lot of eye candies .

Five years back when metro was launched in delhi it seemed like a dream come true for the city .. Truly it was world class .Now also It  is, catering to about 7.5 lakh people daily,surely one of the world’s busiest . Its fares are quite cheap too. Since its induction It has served a lot in development of Delhi .It shortened the distances. Decongested the roads of lakhs of private vehicles . People from all classes of society use metro , from students to entrepreneurs,poor to richest.Delhi never saw that before .Metro is expanding its web .But with each expansion number of people choosing metro over private vehicle and buses is increasing .Metro should figure out to how to cater to such a high rush ,esp. at Kashmere Gate and CP, as they get most affected . They will have to maintain a ‘standard’ ,its comfort level,  else metro might loose out to private vehicles again , as all other public transports,in past have and that would not be good for the city,for our environment  .

Ubuntu Guide ………

So this is it .. . . My guide for ubuntu beginners .It contains some of the tips and tricks to efficiently use ubuntu .

Few things i worked hard to find ,but turn out to be really simple . Listing them

CHANGE THE ICON SIZE
Gnome comes with default big icons . Can be frustating . To change the icon size just do the following :-
open nautilus(just open any folder ,or type nautilus at terminal).
Goto :- Edit>prefereces . in the first tab in icon view default select icon zoom level (75%) or so.
see its quit easy.

One interseting thing :-
If u want to change the size of individual icon just right click on any icon ,select stretch and just stretch it too the size u want ……………..its so simple.Does XP have dese functions!!!!!!!! (naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa)

To install a new theme
download any .tar.bz file . Goto system>preferences>themes .
click install new theme
point it too the .tar.bz file u r done with.
For some it might be funny ,but it took me long to figure it out . i used to extract the .tar.bz fil in beginning so getting screwed up .

Downloader for linux
Well this is the part linux lovers wont like to discuss . Linux dont have good downloaders as windows have till date(sorry if i hurt the feelings of any die hard linux fan) . But that doesnot mean linux doesnot have any .
For any newbie its a bit tricky . U have to understand its working. Wget is the best utility to download files(In linux).But its a console app. i.e. u have to write command in terminal to use it.i m not goin to discuss its command line funtion. Now der r many frontend(or download managers) using wget as its backend . Downloader for x is the best i have found . But it does not integrates itself with firefox . u have to manually enter the link . To integrate it with firefox we use flashgot. its a firefox extension. get it here :- http://flashgot.net/
restart firefox. goto tools>flashgot and explore the options.
Select ur downlaoder . Ur downloader for x will work gr8 now (if not better than windows counterpart)
well dere is an interesting link u must read :-

http://gwutama.de/2007/04/06/integrating-wget-with-firefox-and-using-it-to-download-files-from-rapidshare.html

Video Driver
This is an important thing.Many hardware manufacturers dont care to make driver for linux,but to our rescue Ubuntu comes with driver for most of the hardware, but sometimes it does not by default select the appropriate driver for itself.i faced this thing with my display driver(which is intel 8245 integrated chipset) . Ubuntu is know to have problem with intel integrated chipset(it selects vesa as driver instead of i810) .

do
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
it will ask u many questions . ans dem correctly
den the main question of driver will come select i810(or intel if its der)
it would be better if u do lspci before to know ur config.

Getting (Correct) help
if new to ubuntu just download ubuntu guide from https://help.ubuntu.com/pdf/ubuntu/C/desktopguide.pdf without a second thought . Read it thoroughly ,experiment a bit .U r now ready with enough armour to work on ubuntu efficiently.

Now the second level of help :- ubuntuguide.org

If u go through documentation link of ubuntu u will find a plethora of help.go through them . If u find any thing intersting and useful enough bookmark it. There are also links  to ubuntu wiki , and launchpad .Do research on them to know better.

The third level of help and the most important:-Ubuntu Forums
Well in my point of view the strongest point on which ubuntu scores over its competetors are its forums which r the most active i have found (Really i mean it,just try posting something)
goto http://ubuntuforums.org/
register ur self
(just see the number of posts,and members)
U will find all ur doubts cleared there.

6)LINKS :-Now i m going to give some external links and of ubuntu forum threads which r a worth reading:-

>>>Terminal For Beginners

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=73885

>>>Tweaking and Speeding ubuntu

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=89491

and

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=140920

>>>How To :Compiz Fusion

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=481314

>>>All About Conky(A must for any linux user)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=205865&highlight=conky

and

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=281865

>>>For ur Video Probs

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=129379&postcount=21

>>>Guide to tweak up desktop look

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=490398&highlight=vista+icons

If u wanna see the screenshot of my desktop then visit :-

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/romihim/

>>>Link to The Linux Documentation Project main page where these guides and many others are located:

http://www.tldp.org/

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD TO LEARN LIUX :- MAKE GOOGLE YOUR BEST FRIEND

With This much now u have quite a lot of knowledge about ubuntu so i will suggest some of my fav programs ,give them a try . us will surely love them:-

1) PCmanfm-File manager ,alternate to nautilus
well i love this file manager over nautilus ,because of many reasons most imp being:-
-Very light Weight(smaller and better than even thunar)
-Fastest(visit its site for more details)
-Tab feature
install it by
sudo apt-get install pcmanfm
2)Mplayer
3)Conky
4)XMMS
5)Grid Wars(Game really addictive,search it urself)