PCManFM File manager has no icons in Razor-Qt

When using Razor-Qt desktop environment, if the PCManFM file manager has blank icons then you may need to use LXappearance to set an icon theme.  LXappearance can be started from command line:

lxappearance

or from Start menu -> Preferences -> Customize Look and Feel -> Icon Theme

Setting locale in Sabayon 13.11

To set the system default locale to en_AU.UTF-8 in Sabayon 13.11:

sudo nano /etc/locale.gen
  en_AU.UTF-8 UTF-8
  en_AU ISO-8859-1

sudo nano /etc/locale.conf
  LANG=en_AU.UTF-8

sudo env-update   (applies the changes to /etc/profile.env)
source /etc/profile (makes the change effective in the current shell - restart if not effective)

Zenity 3.8 list output bug on Sabayon

Zenity 3.8.0 on Sabayon 13.12 has a bug that doubles the output of list with seperating pipe, as explained here:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/zenity/+bug/1247137

 My workaround was to download latest source from:

https://git.gnome.org/browse/zenity

Download the package:

ZENITY_3_10_0.tar.gz

Ensure the following are installed:

automake
gcc
gnome-common (small)
yelp-tools

Extract, make and install:

cd ZENITY_3_10_0
autogen.sh
make
sudo make install

LXDE Default Browser shortcut link for panel

LXDE includes the "Preferred Applications" (libfm-pref-apps) program to set the preferred web browser. It works by changing the following entry:

~/.local/share/applications/mimeapps.list

[Default Applications]
x-scheme-handler/http=iceweasel.desktop

The problem with this is if you have a shortcut on the LXPanel, or Desktop, then the link is not updated automatically.  Exo-open is designed for XFCE and is ineffective to fix this issue, xdg-open cannot be used in a shortcut unless a parameter is passed - which is no good if you just want to open the browser.

A workaround is to create a new script that uses xdg-mime to query for the default http handler and create a .desktop file that runs this new script:

 sudo nano /usr/local/bin/x-www-mime-browser

#!/bin/sh

# This script uses xdg-mime to check the default browser
# and executes the .desktop from ~/.local/share/applications
# or /usr/share/applications.

URL="$1"
HANDLER=`xdg-mime query default x-scheme-handler/http`
# If handler is customized, extract from .local/... and execute
if [ -f ~/.local/share/applications/$HANDLER ]; then
    `grep Exec ~/.local/share/applications/$HANDLER \\
    | awk -F= '{ print $2 }' \\
    | awk '{ print $1 }';`
else
    `xdg-mime query default x-scheme-handler/http | awk -F. '{ print $1 }'`
fi

 sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/x-www-mime-browser
 sudo nano /usr/share/applications/x-www-mime-browser.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Web Browser (default)
Exec=x-www-mime-browser %u
MimeType=application/x-xdg-web-browser
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=WebBrowser;Other
Icon=web-browser
NoDisplay=false

When using the LXDE Application Launch Bar Settings the "Web Browser (default)" selection will be tucked away under the "Other" category - this will prevent an extra copy visible in the "Internet" category.

Wordpress on Debian Wheezy

1. apt-get install wordpress
2. apt-get install mysql
3. apt-get install sendmail
4. ln -s /usr/share/wordpress /var/www
5. ln -s /usr/share/wordpress /srv/www
6. Create & Run script:
1. cp /usr/.../wordpress/examples/mysql-setup /usr/share/doc/wordpress/examples/mysql-setup2
2. chmod o+x /usr/.../examples/mysql-setup2
3. /usr/.../examples/mysql-setup2
7. Fix permissions: 
1. chown -R /usr/share/wordpress www-data
2. chown -R /var/lib/wordpress www-data
8. Edit /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default
1. RewriteRule ^/wp-content/plugins/var/lib/(.*)$ /var/lib/$1
2. RewriteRule ^/wp-content/(.*)$ /var/www/wordpress/wp-content/%{HTTP_HOST}/$1
9. http://mydomain.name/...
10. Install recommended plugins:
1. Clean and simple contact form
2. Custom meta widget
3. Easy table
4. Lightbox gallery
5. Twenty Eleven Theme Extensions

If plugins don't work check the source from loaded pages to identify incorrect URL's, adjust rewrite rules to fix.

Libre Office won't start on Debian Wheezy

LibreOffice closes after splash screen on Debian Wheezy - if started from a terminal window the following message is visible:

terminate called after throwing an instance of 'com::sun::star::uno::RuntimeException'

To solve this quickly rename the ~/.config/libreoffice directory:

mv ~/.config/libreoffice ~/.config/libreoffice.bad1

Toshiba Satellite P870 review

Annoyances:

• Has to Apple-style function keys, where the Fn function is secondary (requires pressing the Fn key). This is inconsistent to PC standards.
• No HDD indicator - you can't tell when the system is busy writing to HDD.
• Chiclet keyboard is not high quality. Lots of light escaping from side of backlit keys.
• Glossy screen (urgh!)
• Synaptic touchpad - fussy & frequent driver changes, incorrect driver can cause system to freeze and not be bootable in safe mode.
• Touchpad defaults to reverse scrolling (stupid!).
• Windows 8 is a nightmare!

Pro's:

• Backlit keyboard
• Clear sound from speakers