— If you would rather use a ready-to-go Virtual Machine based on these instructions, check out this post!— With a new version of Ubuntu comes an update to my world-famous guide for setting up a build environment to compile Android ROMs. The aim of this is to simplify the configuration process for you. Follow the directions step-by-step. All you have… Read more →
Fix /dev/xvda1 should be checked for errors on Amazon EC2 Ubuntu Instances
Tired of this message popping up every time you SSH into an Amazon instance? “/dev/xvda1 should be checked for errors” And none of the “fixes” seem to work? Turns out you have to do a combination of things. SSH into the cloud and follow along. Read more →
Fix Nvidia and Wifi Drivers in Kodibuntu
I’ve built a Home Theater PC for a client based around the Asus Z97I-Plus motherboard and the Asus Nvidia GTX970 Mini graphics card. Deciding on Kodibuntu for the OS, I was a bit confused by non-working Wi-Fi and an undetected Nvidia chipset. Turns out support for the GTX970 and 980 was not added until a much later driver revision than… Read more →
Compiling Android for Fun and Profit
Here are the slides for a presentation I gave to the Sacramento Linux Users Group @ the HackerLab Read more →
What Really Mattered @ CES 2015
This was my first run of the gauntlet that is the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a cabbie, CES is consistently the busiest time to be driving around Vegas (more on this later – no Uber in Nevada, WTF progress?). Rightfully so – the event attracts industry representatives from six continents, exhibitors and spectators alike.… Read more →
Fix Video Tearing in Xubuntu with Compton
I love the simplicity of XFCE, but it uses a notoriously garbage window compositor. The thing hasn’t worked correctly on most system configurations for years, and seems abandoned in terms of receiving a proper fix. In my experience, even using cutting-edge XFCE developer PPAs doesn’t do much to address the issue. The problem manifests as horizontal lines (hard cuts) and… Read more →
Set Up Nginx with Virtual Hosts
Nginx is an amazing web server. Virtual hosts allow for many sites to be piled onto a single server. The following how-to outlines the process of getting WordPress blogs up and running to make the most out of available hardware. Over a dozen sites and millions of page views per month can be hosted on something as basic as an… Read more →
[HOWTO] Setup Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn to Compile Android ROMs
— If you would rather use a ready-to-go Virtual Machine based on these instructions, check out this post!— With a new version of Ubuntu comes an update to my world-famous guide for setting up a build environment to compile Android ROMs. The aim of this guide is to simplify the configuration process for you. Follow the directions step-by-step. All you… Read more →
architekt – Compile Android ROMs with Windows/Mac OSX
architekt is a custom Virtual Machine that can be used with Mac OSX, Windows, and Linux. It includes everything you need to sync with the repo of your choice (Cyanogenmod, AOKP, AOSP, etc) and start building ROMs from source. This version includes Java 6 for compiling Gingerbread thru Kitkat. To compile Android L, switch to OpenJDK7. Features: – Arch base… Read more →
How to Customize an Ubuntu Installation Disc – The Right Way (16.04 Compatible!)
If you’re like me, you’ve wanted to customize an Ubuntu install DVD for a long time – but all the tools/directions for doing it are out of date and/or broken. Look no further! I have successfully customized an ISO of Xubuntu 14.04 for my project Builduntu but this guide should work for just about any flavor of Ubuntu, maybe even… Read more →