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May, 2014

  1. oops – kernel panic

    May 30, 2014 by admin

    Linux has developed a new way to track kernel panic errors. OPW Intern Teodora Băluţă spent her three-month internship this year designing a program to capture and send Linux kernel crash and error messages, called oops, as QR codes. To capture oops as QR codes, Băluţă first had to research existing QR code libraries that were compatible with the kernel and could also handle a large amount of text. She also studied algorithms capable of compressing all of that data and ended up using the zlib inside the kernel code. Finally, she had to insert hooks into the various oops paths in the kernel to catch the outgoing messages that comprise the full oops message.

    Kernel panic

    Kernel panic

    Kernel developers use oops to find and fix programming errors that cause problems in the Linux kernel. Compressing them into QR codes solves several problems with this process, said PJ Waskiewicz, the Linux kernel developer who mentored Băluţă’s internship with Intel, funded by The Linux Foundation. For example, he said, “if I’m working on my laptop while traveling, and hit some obscure bug that I only see once every 3-4 months, I want to make sure to get a clean capture of the panic. I don’t have a serial console hooked up, I may be running some graphics workload that hangs the display, so the panic may have dumped the backtrace, but there’s no way to extract it. A QR code can encapsulate an entire oops and will still always fit on screen. Using KMS (kernel mode setting), it can also write the QR code to a portion of the framebuffer that will always be visible, so you never lose the panic”, Waskiewicz said. And in a QR code format, you don’t need to be a kernel developer to find, read and report an oops – just take a picture of the crash and send it to your favorite bug reporting software so a kernel developer can dig into it.

    Though her internship ended in March, Teodora is continuing with development of an Android app that will help process the kernel panic trace by taking a photo of the QR code, decoding it, and reporting it to a central database, such as bugzilla.kernel.org or kerneloops.org.

    Source: linux.com


  2. Sell your car like a pro

    May 12, 2014 by admin

    If you plan to sell your car or you already are in the process, your car might get something like this:

     

    car_for_sale_sticker

    Car for sale sticker

     

    If you expect people to call you, you should make a statement. You could set a low price (could be counterproductive), or make some other incentive for the caller. In any case, you can’t publish enough info on a small window sticker, and putting up a huge description will look plain ugly. What to do?

    Most people own a smartphone these days, and most of those support QR Codes. Why not utilize this and put a small QR code with all the info about the car. Heck, why not go to the extreme and build a mobile landing page? This action does not have to be too complicated, if you use the right tools.

    QR Code for sale

    First thing is to create a QR code. QR code can contain your phone number, so when people scan QR code, they can make a direct call to you. Other option is to put a text inside a QR, so it contains info about the car: manufacturer, model, year, engine type, .. and your contact details. When people pass by the car, they can scan the code and pick up all the info to their phone. Simply taking a photo of your sticker would do the same. So, how to make an impression. Use a QR code that leads to your mobile landing page, with pictures, car data and your contact details. It could look like this:

     

    QR - car sale

    QR for car sale

    QR code on the left could lead to your custom mobile landing page. Example shown above contains sample pictures and has no details. This page is easy to edit. Idea is to give people all the info they need, in a way they will love and they can take with them. This QR is reminder about your car, and it also contains all the info they need. Another important thing is it’s optimized for mobile devices.

    Mobile landing page

    Car_sale_mobile_landing_page

    Car sale mobile landing page

    If you want to reach people you need to aim for their mobile. If you get them to scan your QR, half of the work is done. Other half has to be the content. If you could put up a mobile landing page with pictures of your car, all the details, and your contact info .. that would be the best way to present your car. In the example to the right you can see a template of the mobile landing page for your car sales. You can get this service here >>

    You just need to type in your info, and replace pictures. No programming, no Web design course. This template will work on all mobile browsers, on any screen size, and will present your car with style. It will also work on any desktop or laptop computer. All you need to do is take it your car to a car wash and give it a new shine. Additional value here is option to send people direct link, so they can visit your mobile landing page from email (if they are nowhere near the car) or look at the data on their computer. It will work in all internet browsers.

    Final touch

    Don’t forget single most important thing – wash the car before showing it to buyers. “You can spend $10 washing the car and get another $200 for the car” – guess who said that?