squared99

Eureka!

After quite a bit of trial and error I finally got Trac 0.11 running on Dreamhost, using Python2.4 with subversion bindings and all.

My attempts were further complicated by the fact that I had already been using the Dreamhost subversion provided and had not installed my own.

For anyone else who may be having similar issues, here are the steps I took to get it going.

1. I set up subversion using the interface provided via the Dreamhost admin panel.

2. I setup Trac using the DreamyTrac scripts.

If all is fine you may be able to stop here believe it or not, but for me I ran into troubles with Dreamhost’s default Python install (Python2.3) and email workflow. Furthermore when I switched Trac to use Python2.4 I found out that Dreamhost hadn’t set up 2.4 with the subversion bindings. I switched back to 2.3 for awhile but found I was quite limited in what plug-ins etc I could install until I got it working with 2.4. blah blah blah, shutup and just tell us how what you did right?

3. I set up my own local Python version for 2.4 using virtualenv. But this still needs the subversion binding installed

4. I mostly followed the steps here at natmaster on installing SWIG and Subversion, replacing any reference to the default python directory with my virtualenv python directory

eg. $HOME/inst/bin/python2.4 instead of /usr/bin/python

Initially I got an error about needing to specify the apr directory, this can be specified on Dreamhost by adding the following configure options to those provided on natmaster.

–with-apr=/usr/local/dh/apache2/template/bin/apr-config –with-apr-util=/usr/local/dh/apache2/template/bin/apu-config

once that is done run the make commands as described on natmaster.

5. After all that is done, the libsvn and svn for python should be available in $HOME/packages/lib/svn-python/. I copied these into my site-packages folder for the python in my virtualenv.

eg. cp -rf $HOME/packages/lib/svn-python/ $HOME/inst/lib/python2.4/site-packages

6. Update your trac.cgi or trac.fcgi file to use the virtualenv python install. My trac.fcgi was found in $HOME/packages/share/trac/cgi-bin.

eg. change #!/usr/bin/python to #!/$HOME/inst/bin/python2.4

7. Done! At least in my case Trac was now properly running on Python2.4

I found a few tales on the web out there and ended up having to borrow bits and pieces from here and there, as well as adding a few of my own personal touches.

So I thought I would add my story, as it may help others in similar circumstances.

For the past couple months I have been working with Silverstripe and I have to say I am very impressed. Anyone looking for a new CMS should definitely check it out.

It allows both front-end and back-end customization. Meaning the admin of the CMS can be customized and added to.

I have used this approach to build the new Interact CMS system which is tied into the Interact APIs. This has allowed the creation of a slick and powerful digital content management system that can be used for both web and mobile. All the bells and whistles are there including mobile delivery, e-commerce, phone data, member management etc.

I’ve also used it used on typical website projects as the more traditional CMS. Again, it is very easy to get going with the template system and build something that is familiar from a CMS point of view for the client, but also flexible enough to be extended to the specific needs of the client.

Rather than forcing the client/user to adapt to the CMS, the CMS adapts to the user.

It seems that the ASA, a body responsible for advertising standards in the UK, has found and upheld a claim that Apple has been misleading with its current ad campaign which claims that “all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone”.

Whether you agree that Java and Flash specifically are parts of the Internet, I find this encouraging.

Apple has been claiming all sorts of holy grail status regarding iPhone web capabilities, but until the recent 2.0 firmware upgrade and 3G launch it wasn’t even possible to download and save a file unless a ‘hack’ was installed. This is a capability possible for years on some of the lowest end handsets out there, and the fact it wasnt possible on the iPhone has lead to confusion by both the users of the iPhone and those that try to create services accessible by wireless devices.

Flash and Java are just the tip of the iceberg with respect to what features taken for granted are not actually possible on the iPhone. They do expose two holes in the firewall Apple has put in place to prevent “unauthorized” 3rd party access to the device. If Apple allowed Flash and Java to run via the browser, then the App Store becomes less a gatekeeper for apps.

Is Apple likely to allow these features? Probably not soon, but at least we can avoid confusion in the meantime. It also allows other devices to market effectively against the iPhone by highlighting the features they allow compared to the iPhone and prevents Apple from hiding behind broad claims of supporting “all parts of the Internet”.