Substruct Web Store (Tutorial)

The goal of this article is to provide a detailed step-by-step introduction to installing Substruct for Debian (unstable). I installed Substruct on my Windows system, but server loading times were inordinately slow and I got the impression that it was putting an unnecessary burden on my local machine's processor.

Then, when I migrated my installation and database to a Debian system, I had strange problems crop up, like the "Not ready to buy yet?" message would not appear, and my "Add this item to your wishlist" button would start overlapping the "Add to Cart" button. Not cool! So, I decided to gut the provided installation of Ruby and try installing Substruct from scratch.

First step is to download Ruby from the Download Ruby website, compile and install. I recommend the old version 1.8.7, which you will have to dig out of the FTP archives; they are pushing ruby 1.9.1 now, which doesn't have support for the ftools library, something that's used by Substruct; you will surely need some basic developer tools installed already to begin the ./configure; make; make install procedure. Once you've got them all and started the compile, go and make yourself a sandwich. Should take 5 minutes unless you're strapped for memory.

Now that you have your own custom installation of Ruby, you'll need some Ruby Gems to commence the Substruct installation. Get the latest version of both, and follow the instructions to install Ruby Gems (basically ruby setup.rb), then install the gems required by Substruct (gem install RedCloth fastercsv mime-types mini_magick ezcrypto).

Someone needs to use the computer. I'll finish this debugging process later.

NOHO-NYC Adventures

We're on a trip to The Moon, says Remy D... with a mild diversion on the way, a stop in Pluto. Eben Moglen of the Software Freedom Law Center and Columbia University Law History department, has asked for a meeting with the founding members of The Causemaker Foundation, and it's just a little out of the way: we came out this way to see the show for Umphrees McGee in Northampton Massachusetts, and that was a bust for me. We went to a nice restaurant (The Dirty Truty) instead of that, Mike said that the concert was a rockin good time!

Have been enjoying Northeastern hospitality and the beautiful weather and scenery of New York and Mass, we're taking a train into NYC and I have yet to contact anyone for lodging or more serious scoping out of the area. We've got enough friends in NYC, and Remy has made some links, that I'm not worried about it. I could come out of this trip with an incredible story or even an internship with one of the great heads of the Free Software movement, with doors leading to Law school and worse: real political activism.

Wish me luck! My phone is out of service, if you need me call Amy Gavin at 585.781.4145, we're in Northampton for a day more, after that you can try my number or Jeremy DeCausemaker at 315.945.1601 -- he's got a Cingular phone, my Cricket has been out of service since near Syracuse. I hope it works in NYC!

Molly Installation

Installing the Molly Project onto the pirate-yogi ship Hobo 11, the machine that doesn't tend to carry copyrighted software on purpose.

Do what you say you're gonna do

This particular desktop is configured such that I can't use it to learn to write in Chinese, only to read. Pretend it's a restriction of the IT department. I'm not sure what implications that would have for the psychology of a person. We're going to find out.

Management handed down a decision, and Juice is taking my new computer from me. He's making money and I'm not, and we're sharing the money under an equitable arrangement as far as I'm concerned, so unless I can find the time to make my home computer (which does not run Windows) handle Chinese input satisfactorily, perhaps final notice that the Chinese will be left behind when our pirate space ship reaches orbit, and eventually travels beyond beyond!

So unless I can find a way to perform that function using free software, I mean, unless my demands are met!!! Uhh, yes I mean to say that, until we are financially solvent under a real business model, I will not be teaching Chinese on company time. Thank you.

Anyway, with that settled, I will be blogging about Molly as I figure out how to get it up and running. I just felt a chill of "whoreyness" run down my spine. Funny. But what I mean to say is, do what you say you're gonna do, it sounds lovely in Chinese.