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Saturday, July 2, 2016

Set-up python 3.3 on centos 6.4

Preface:Older Linux releases usually don't include Python 3 in their repositories. They also rely heavily on Python 2. This means that installing Python 3 on an older CentOS is slightly more complicated. You don't realize it until you need it...

Due credit: When I started toying with Python 3.3 installation on one of my older CentOS machines, I ran into a post by O.S. Tezer at DigitalOcean . As Tezer focused on Python 2.7. I thought it might be useful for others to have a full python 3 howto. 

# Prepare the system for the compilation 
yum install -y zlib-devel openssl-devel sqlite-devel bzip2-devel xz-libs
# (xz-libs is for une unzipping of the source; a just-in-case installation)

# Get python source & compile 
wget http://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.3.3/Python-3.3.3.tar.xz  
# pay attention where you do this so that you don't clutter your system 
#unzip 
xz -d Python-2.7.6.tar.xz 
#untar 
tar -xvf Python-2.7.6.tar 
cd Python-3.3.3 
#configuration 
./configure
#build 
make 
#install
sudo make altinstall #we really, but really, don't want to alter the system's older version python 
#   the python executables are created by deafult in /usr/local/bin 
#  you might wish to add to your path or the system's path the python3.3 executable 
#  (/etc/profile.d  and/or $HOME/.bash_profile )

# Setting Up pip and virtualenv
# how to set setuptools 23.0.0
 https://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools
# (the no check certificate and insecure switches are required because of the ancient o/s )
wget --no-check-certificate https://bootstrap.pypa.io/ez_setup.py
sudo /usr/local/python3.3 ez_setup.py --insecure
#now lets get pip and install it 
wget --no-check-certificate https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py 
sudo /usr/local/bin/python3.3  get-pip.py
# at last we are at python's own land...
sudo /usr/local/bin/pip3  install virtualenv 





Friday, July 1, 2016

Slowly and surely the age of pervasive computing crept upon humanity

If found myself reading some pervasive computing news recently which reminded me that we are in the middle of a revolution. The two pieces were relatively innocent. 


Yes, the world of gadgets is getting smarter. When I wrote about the coming age of pervasive computing on this blog, more than 5 years ago I claimed that the age of pervasive computing has not come yet, and stated that only when all things, including everyday artifacts such as chairs, paintings and pens will be computerized,  shall that age truly come. I still hold firm  in this belief, but as time goes by, one has to admit that we are in a twilight age, a period where things are becoming less and less distinct. 

It reminds me of the old joke, "Slowly and surely the unix crept up on the Windows  user ..." (there are other variations, regarding other prey). Looking around, we see that joke fulfilled. The most common operating system in smartphones is Unix (more accurately, a Linux; more accurately: Android). 

This slow and sure creeping is now being performed by the age of pervasive computing. But what is the line-of-no-return? Surely not at this stage of early-bird gadgets, such as the Echo.