my programming journey

Gnome Boxes icon If you are like me, who wonders how to add a second disk to a gnome boxes vm, but doesn't knows a lot about qemu-kvm xml configuration, then the following tips is for you too. There is no way to do this in the Gnome Boxes preferences. The only way is to edit the configuration file. To open the configuration file right click on the vm and then on Preferences . Click on the Edit Configuration at the bottom. You'll see the configuration in xml format in the text editor that has opened up. Now add the entry for the second disk. The whole entries for all disks can look like this:     <disk type='file' device='disk'>       <driver name='qemu' type='qcow2' cache='writeback' discard='unmap'/>       <source file='/home/user/.local/share/gnome-boxes/images/main-disk.qcow2'/>       <target dev='vda' bus='virtio'/>       <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' b...

  I love the Logitech K380 keyboard. In my case I'm using the UK layout version. But it annoys me that some the keys do not exactly represent the letters on it. For example the keys with the grey letters. In the past I got over it and trained my muscle memory to hit a key when I mean to type a certain letter. However I found out that it's very simple to adapt the layout in Linux (I'm using Ubuntu 23.10 at the moment). Not only that you can exchange the keys for something else, for example for a letter or symbols that you frequently use. In my case I need to type the letters ŵ and ö a lot in my work. So I added the functionality that AltGr+w and AltGr+o produce the letter ŵ and ö respectively. How to do that? Easier than you think. Here is how to do it. We need to modify 5 files. First the layout file inside the  /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols directory and the other 4 are inside the  /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules  directory. As I am using a UK keyboard, the layout file I nee...

Hmmm... what's going on? This is now the third app I have been unpublished on the Google Play Store. Remember I wrote in the previous post that I needed to hand over the maintainance Nias language pack app to ASK developer? Yes that created security issue with my Play Console account. My bad I used to use the same Play Store key and password for all my apps. Therefore I unpublished Nias Wiki app and created a new one under the name Wiki Nias. Hey I have learned my lesson. Each app will have now its unique key and password! So in case I have to hand it over to other developer in the future, it will not create headache to me. Cheers!

Nias Keyboard Layout This is the second app on Google Play Store I unpublished today. The reason for this one is simply complicated. First I used to publish the Nias language pack for AnySoftKeyboard on my private account. There are two packs: first Nias language pack and Indo-Nias language pack. However in the past year I notice that I don't have additional resources to maintain it. So I decided to unpublished the Indo-Nias language pack, while handing over the maintainance of the Nias language pack to ASK main developer. A bit sad, because my name as sole contributor for Nias language pack will be not visible in the git main merge. But at least it doesn't take my resources and if another developer wants to work on it, they can do it in the main ASK git tree. In short: the Nias language pack is still available on the Google Play Store, and on ASK github repository, but the Indo-Nias language pack is gone. Sorry for those who are still using it. BTW: all Nias keyboard related p...

GuNews app icon As a single developer I don't have enough resources to deal with so many new requirements for a news app. Quite sad, because that's the only app I wrote in Java, before moving to Dart/Flutter. And some of my friends still enjoy using it. However the constant changed policies on Google Play Store require additional time and resources. Therefore I decided to unpublish the app. Of course those who had installed in on their devices can continue to use it, but new users will not be able to find it. Cheers :(

I use Ubuntu daily for work. And I copy and paste a lot. It annoys me that there is no easy way to provide this basic functionality built-in on Ubuntu. In the past it used to be very easy, you select a block of texts with a mouse, move to other place and insert the text there with a simple middle mouse click. Therefore I was glad to find these tips and another tips on keyboard remapping and want to keep them here. 1. Mouse button Copy and Paste from Earl C. Ruby III at earlruby.org 2.  Remap Keyboard And Mouse Buttons On Linux With The New Input Remapper GUI (Supports X11 And Wayland) from Logix at linuxuprising.com Cheers!