All you have to do is set a facebook username, then you can connect using username@chat.facebook.com and your facebook password… it really is that easy!

You can see more details and instructions for specific chat clients here: http://www.facebook.com/sitetour/chat.php

I translated this guide as there doesn’t seem to be anything about using gtkbuilder and glade, rather than the older libGlade, with python. The guide is not yet complete, but I will keep working on it over the coming weeks.

Dieser Werk bzw. Inhalt ist unter einer Creative Commons-Lizenz lizenziert. This work is released under a creative commons licence (cc-by-nc-sa).

Introduction

This guide should give you a first look at how to use the programming language Python and the interface designer Glade.

I will concentrate on the Python code rather than the use of Glade, which is already well documented in the Glade Interface Designer Handbook.

This text neither should, nor can be used as a replacement for the PyGTK Reference Manual, or the offical PyGTK Tutorial.

I will take it as a given that you have experience with Python and that you are working with Glade 3.6.x on Linux and that your project is saved in the GTKBuilder format for GTK 2.16.

Signals and Events

Like many libraries for graphical user interfaces, GTK is event driven. A central event loop waits until something happens then forwards the control onto the routines responsible for the processing of the event.

In order to process events, GTK uses signals: control elements and other objects react to events, which the corresponding signals trigger. Using these signals, you can control callbacks, which will then always be called, so that the corresponding signal will be triggered.

Signals make the connection between the user interface and the program’s code such that: every action of the user triggers one or more signals, which you can connect to with callbacks, in order to react to the user’s request. In addition, signals are often used to enable different parts of the program to communicate with one another. Therefore, a GTK program often contains very many signal callback routines.

Connecting to Signals

Using the method gtk.Widget.connect() you can connect a callback with a signal.

Instead of this, you can use gtk.Builder.connect_signals() to automatically connect all callbacks with their corresponding signals.

Additionally, you must specify the name of the callback in the signal properties of the gui element in Glade.

Whilst a callback is being called, the main loop cannot process any signals. Therefore, the interface doesn’t react to the mouse, or the keyboard and also, changes to the interface elements are usually seen only after completion of the routine.

Therefore, in a callback which is activated by the keyboard/mouse, it is often useful to trigger a handler, for example a progress bar, using the following lines of code:

while gtk.events_pending():
      gtk.main_iteration ()

Important Functions

gtk.main()

Starts the main loop.

This function is normally called after you have shown the main window of your program.

gtk.main_quit()

This function ends the main loop. It is usually called in the callback for the delete-even signal of your main window.

gtk.events_pending()

returns: True if an event is waiting to be processed, otherwise False

Checks whether there is currently an event waiting to be processed.

gtk.main_iteration(block=True)

Parameter: block – True, if the function should wait an event has been processed.

Executes a single iteration of the main loop.

This function is typically called together with

gtk.events_pending()

in order to execute all queued events.

Example

1
2

def on_window1_delete_event(self, *args):
     gtk.main_quit()

This is the on_window1_delete_event, the callback for the delete-event signal of window “window1″. Should this window be destroyed (closed), then gtk.main_quit() will be called, so as to end the main loop and with that, the program itself.

User: Are you clever?

Cleverbot: Yes i’m clever.

User: Are you hot?

Cleverbot: Hotter than you. Greasy neckbeard.

User: Oh so you want to offend me?

Cleverbot: Yes.

User: That’s not very kind. I thought you were a nice bot…

Cleverbot: I’m very naughty.

User: In a dirty way?

Cleverbot: Speak only spanish from now on.

User: Kann ich bitte auf Deutsch sprechen? Ich spreche kein Spanisch…

Cleverbot: What’s that mean?

User: Please can I speak in German. I don’t speak any Spanish…

Cleverbot: No.

User: Do you speak German?

Cleverbot: A little.

User: Tell me something in German.

Cleverbot: I don’t know how.

User: Liar.

Cleverbot: I do know.

User: I know you do, so please, say something in German.

Cleverbot: Hallo. Wie gehts dir?

… I went on to answer the question in German and it carried on speaking to me in German. I told it I was very impressed (in English) and it switched back to English. Unfortunately, this part of the conversation was lost, it’s logging feature doesn’t work half as well as its AI

Try it, it’s truly amazing!

The Karen Hilltribes Trust

I am now working as a web designer for The Karen Hilltribes Trust. It’s the most amazing job ever! I love doing this sort of work, it’s always been a hobby of mine and now it’s my job!

You can check out the site so far here: http://www.karenhilltribes.org.uk/

The Samsung DVD-SH871M

EDIT: See comments from David for an even newer firmware!

I recently came across a Samsung DVD-SH871M that was unusable due to the EPG and several other menu features being incredibly slow to respond to the remote. I have no idea what Samsung were thinking of when they released this player with completely unusable firmware… but there is a fix.

A quick google showed that this was a common problem and the solution was to upgrade the firmware. The new firmware is supposed to be available from Samsung’s website, but there is only a manual listed for the DVD-SH871M. However, it turns out that the DVD-SH875M, for which there is a firmware update listed, uses exactly the same firmware. To the point that when performing the upgrade, you will see that the old (i.e. the shipped) firmware contains the SH875M’s name in its version number.

So, the solution is a simple one, download the DVD-SH875M’s firmware from here: http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=uk&CttFileID=2003747&CDCttType=FM&ModelType=N&ModelName=DVD-SH875M&VPath=FM/200809/20080908164404281_sh875m_20080728.zip

I will also mirror the file here, unless Samsung request I remove it: http://www.danbishop.org/downloads-files/sh875m_20080728.ruf.tar.bz2

Then unzip the file, burn it to a cd/dvd/cdrw/dvdrw, then put the disc in the DVD-SH871M. The player will load for a bit, then ask you if you’d like to upgrade the firmware. Select “Yes”, then go and make a cup of tea (the process takes about 6-8minutes).

Once finished the player will eject the disc automatically, remove it et voilà, the process is complete.

To all those who have already donated, thank you! So far we’ve raised a massive £256.96 with some more promised! Particular thanks to Claire and Fiona for actually making this happen (though please don’t be fooled into thinking I won’t get revenge in some form).

Many of you stipulated that in exchange for a donation, I had to provide pictures/videos… so here they are: enjoy!

The Long One:

The Final Result:

Photos:

[nggallery id=2]

So what has prompted this new service? I’d like to think demand from mac and Linux users, but who knows. The shift from Microsoft’s WMP to Adobe’s flash player has certainly made the whole thing more accessible though. Whilst it would be nice to have a completely FOSS solution, this is unrealistic at present and I think Channel 4 should be applauded for taking steps to make life easier for non-windows users.