Learning Ruby on Rails

I have been experimenting with various open source software for a little over a year now. Among them is Ruby and Ruby on Rails. This post is directed at those who may just be beginning Ruby on Rails programming.

Michael Slater and Christopher Haupt have assembled an excellent series of podcast and screencast tutorials aimed at guiding beginners into the wonderful world of Ruby on Rails programming. The lessons are free. Personally, I have found them to be instructive and interesting. To sign up click on the link below:

Building WebApps

If you work with the lessons, I would enjoy hearing about your experiences and opinions.

Nerd Book List - 2007

Title: The Official Ubuntu Book
Authors: Benjamin Mako Hill and Jono Bacon
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0-13-243594-2

Title: Ubuntu Hacks: Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux
Authors: Jonathan Oxer, Kyle Rankin & Bill Childers
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-52720-9

Title: Ruby for Rails
Author: David A. Black
Publisher: Manning
ISBN: 1-932394-69-9

Title: Agile Web Development with Rails, Second Edition
Authors: Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 0-9776166-3-0

Title: Rails Recipes
Author: Chad Fowler
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 0-9776166-0-6

Title: Ruby Cookbook
Authors: Lucas Carlson & Leonard Richardson
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-52369-6

Title: Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, Style Sheets, and Web Graphics, Third Edition
Author(ess): Jennifer Niederst Robbins
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0-596-52752-7

Title: Teach Yourself CSS in 10 Minutes
Author: Russ Weakley
Publisher: Sams
ISBN: 0-672-32745-7

Title: Pro CSS and HTML Design Patterns
Author: Michael Bowers
Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1-59059-804-0

Title: The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
Author: Jason Beaird
Publisher: Sitepoint
ISBN: 0-9758419-3

Title: Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional
Author(ess): Akkana Peck
Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1-59059-587-4

Title: Pro Active Record: Databases with Ruby and Rails
Authors: Kevin Marshall, Chad Pytel, and Jon Yurek
Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1-59059-847-4

Title: The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks, Second Edition
Author(ess): Rachel Andrew
Publisher: Sitepoint
ISBN: 0-9758419-8-X

Title: Build Your Own Web Site the Right Way Using HTML & CSS
Author: Ian Lloyd
Publisher: Sitepoint
ISBN: 978-0-9752402-9-8

Troubleshooting a Disk Read Error

The owner of an HP Pavilion DV4230US notebook computer called to report the error message:
"A DISK READ ERROR OCCURRED. PRESS CTRL + ALT + DEL TO RESTART."
A Google search revealed this is a mysterious and unresolved problem. Apparently, this issue plagues both desktop and notebook computers. These notes are intended to let others know what I tried that didn't work and what, ultimately, did work for me.


WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
Attempt 1
Pressed CTRL + ALT + DEL to restart the computer.
Result: Same error message.

Attempt 2
Cleared the NVRAM by unplugging the CMOS battery for a minute. Entered the BIOS (by pressing F10), reset factory defaults (by pressing F9), saved the changes, and rebooted.
Result: Same error message.

Attempt 3
Started the computer from the Windows XP Home CD, selected "R" for the Recover Console, and ran chkdsk /r from the command prompt. Entered Safe Mode.
Result: Windows was rendered unstable.

Attempt 4
A complete, clean Windows XP Home reinstall.
Result: Computer worked for brief time, then returned the same problem.

Attempt 5
A new hard drive with a fresh Windows XP Home installation.
Result: Computer worked for brief time, then returned the same problem.

Attempt 6
A new BIOS upgrade. (From F16 to F17.)
Result: No change.



THE MAIN CLUE AND THE RESOLUTION
Step 1
Removed the battery, DVD +/- RW, and hard drive.
Cleared the NVRAM.
Reinserted the new hard drive.
Started computer using the AC adaptor, entered BIOS (by pressing F10), reset time and date, reset factory defaults (by pressing F9), and saved changes and exit BIOS.
Result: The computer booted into Windows. Its behavior was normal.

Step 2
Reinserted the DVD +/- RW and rebooted.
Result: Error message returned.
Conclusion: DVD +/- RW is the source of the problem.

Step 3
Cleaned the electrical contacts on the DVD +/- RW with an alcohol pad and reinserted it into its bay.
Left battery out. Used the AC adaptor to power the computer.
Rebooted the system.
Result: The computer booted into Windows. Its behavior remained normal after many reboots.
Problem Resolved: Dirty or oxidized contacts on the DVD +/- RW drive caused the issue.

Tip: PXE-E61: Media Test Failure Error

Problem:
The hard drive has been replaced on an HP Notebook PC. Can't boot to the CD drive to reinstall Windows. BIOS is set to ATAPI CD drive as first boot device. The system seems to "jump" over the CD drive. It repeatedly tries to boot from the network adapter. An error message from the system BIOS is displayed on a black screen referring to 'PXE-E61: Media Test Failure' during startup or boot.

Follow this link for HP's suggestions: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?cc=us&docname=c00488753&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

It didn't work for me.

My Solution:
Follow the manual for specifics. Details may vary from one model to another. (I was working on a Pavilion DV4230US notebook PC.)

Step 1 -
Remove the AC adaptor.

Step 2 -
Remove the battery.

Step 3 -
Remove the memory/communications cover from the bottom of the PC.

Step 4 -
Remove the mini-PCI communitions card from its slot.

Step 5 -
Look for the RTC (Real Time Clock) battery. It has a two-wire plug. One white. One red.

Step 6 -
Unplug the RTC battery for a minute or two to clear the system's NVRAM. (NVRAM = Non Volatile RAM maintains the PC's current hardware, time, and date configuration.)

Step 7 -
Plug the RTC battery in again.

Step 8 -
Replace the mini-PCI communications card to its slot.

Step 9 -
Replace the memory/communications cover.

Step 10 -
Replace the battery.

Step 11 -
Replace the AC adaptor.

Step 12 -
Turn the PC on.
Enter BIOS.
Set the time and date.
Set boot order for ATAPI CD as first boot device.
Insert Windows CD into CD drive.
Save changes and exit. System should now boot to CD drive to begin Windows reinstallation.

This worked for me. Hopefully, it will help you, too.

Introduction

First, a confession: I am a newbie blogger.

I expect to post on a variety of subjects:
* Computer hardware (components, configurations, etc.)
* Computer software (operating systems, applications, programming, etc.)
* Critters (cats and guinea pigs)
* Politics
* Theology
* General topics

About my computer:
Motherboard:
Asus A8N-SLi Premium
CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400
RAM:
4GB Corsair TwinX 3200C2
Video:
eVGA 7800GT 256MB PCI-e

DVD/CD-RW:
Sony DRU-810A
Hard Drives (2):
Maxtor 6V320F0 - SATA II 320GB (each - 640GB total)
Floppy:
Sony 3.5" 1.44MB

Case:
Antec P180 Super Midtower
PSU:
PC Power & Cooling Turbo 510 (Power Supply)
Operating System:
Open SuSE 10.0 X86-64 Linux

I built my computer in January, 2006. I love it.