<![CDATA[Ted Bergeron ]]>https://tedbergeron.github.ioRSS for NodeThu, 02 Feb 2017 20:06:54 GMT60<![CDATA[Storage Service: publish once, distribute everywhere]]>

You should be able to take your content with you when you leave Facebook, Twitter, etc. and share it in the new app-of-the-moment.

Dave Winer has been on this kick about a "storage service" Break the logjam with a simple API and Storage and Firefox.

He says that once we have storage service API’s for Dropbox, et al, that JavaScript apps will become a new web or at least a new way for us to publish blogs and social media.

I really agree because this fits with the SoLiD and PODS (Personal Online Data Stores) concepts of Tim Berners-Lee.

  • You own your content.

  • You publish your Tweet or blog post to your storage service.

  • You authorize Twitter or Medium to access your posts there.

This allows you to publish once and distribute everywhere.

When you get tired of Dropbox, you can move all your content over to Google Drive or whatever and all your posts and Tweets are still online.

JavaScript in the browser

Static web apps work in GitHub and Dropbox where you host some HTML and use JavaScript to read/write content. I’m storing my content in JSON.

Ideally the HTML and JavaScript would become an app as a browser plugin or extension.

Since GitHub and Dropbox already have API’s it seems like this would be pretty simple. So far I’m struggling because almost all code I find is based on hosting it on some web server. The API’s all require someone with a developer mindset to get API keys and tokens.

I still need to answer more questions about how an average user would hook up a JavaScript app to a storage service with just their username and password.

Continue the public discussion

I hope this continues the discussion to conceptualize where this could go.

What kinds of applications do you imagine? Public apps like social networking, blogging, federated wiki. Private apps for tracking your collections of books and movies, address book for contacts…​

Please blog about your concepts and Tweet about it.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2017/02/02/Storage-Service-publish-once-distribute-everywhere.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2017/02/02/Storage-Service-publish-once-distribute-everywhere.htmlThu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[Preserving Content]]>

I attended the Scripting News meetup in Portland on Friday and got a chance to meet Dave Winer.

The topic of preserving content came up which is a very important to me.

How can we preserve content so it is not trapped in old, obsolete hardware or software?

Continuous Migration

I started blogging in 2000 when I read an article about "weblogs".

Since my website was already data-driven, it was pretty trivial to add a weblog category. I used bulletin board code and wrote a simple parser to add bold and italics to plain text. This was before AsciiDoc or Markdown were invented.

Keeping my website online was an endless series of server changes that broke my code.

After a few years of fighting that, I took a break from maintaining my website and started using Blogger.com.

But all my old posts were now stuck in a database. And my website code used to fetch those posts no longer worked.

This is the root of the problem we discussed at the meetup.

Preserving content as text

Ward Cunningham shared his story of trying to resurrect the work he’d done with HyperCard. His solution for today is to move all the content into JSON stored as simple text. Take a look at his latest invention; Federated Wiki. Click on the JSON link at the bottom of each page to see what that looks like.

I’ve come to the same realization. If I want to preserve the content into the future, it’s going to be in a format that will still be around in 20 years.

So I’m slowly dredging up my old content out of old databases and saving the text into text files.

I’m formatting my text using AsciiDoc, which is like a super-set of Markdown.

Then I use a static website generator called Hugo to build my websites. Hugo can use JSON as the front matter. It uses Asciidoctor to render the formatting before building the website.

This blog, powered by HubPress, uses the same concept.

Hopefully I’ve minimized the migration frustration now that my content is in plain text. Twenty years from now I should still be able to open and read my text files.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2016/08/22/Preserving-Content.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2016/08/22/Preserving-Content.htmlMon, 22 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[How to build a website with Asciidoctor]]>

Take a look at this demo of website I made only using Asciidoctor and with one command. http://tedbergeron.github.io/SiteMadeWithAsciidoctor/

How To

Start by downloading the files in my GitHub Repository. Edit the content in the text files marking them up with AsciiDoc.

I am using a header and footer that is included on the index and page one AsciiDoc text file.

To render the pages

At the command prompt

> asciidoctor *.txt

Push or FTP

Push your files back to your GitHub 'gh-pages' branch.

Or just FTP the .html files that were generated to your own website.

That’s it, you’re done.

Following is some additional information to customize your website.

Use Different Asciidoctor Themes

I’ve included a couple themes in the styles directory in the repository. To use them.

At the command prompt

> asciidoctor -a stylesheet=styles/maker.css  *.txt

If you’d like to use the colony stylesheet use

> asciidoctor -a stylesheet=styles/colony.css  *.txt
You can get other themes and preview them here: http://themes.asciidoctor.org/

Smart Links

I’m using Asciidoctor 'smart links' to convert the file extension ".adoc" or ".txt" to ".html"

<<page2.adoc#,Smart Link to page 2>>
or
<<page2.txt#,Smart Link to page 2>>

both renders as a link

href="page2.html"

Ignore the Extra Files

This method will render the header.txt and footer.txt into html files too. But since they’re not linked to anything, it’s fine for them to live along side the others.

You could get organized and put all the Asciidoc text files into a sub-directory, but I’ll leave that to you to figure out the logistics.

My goal was to generate the simplest website using the most minimal command.

Why don’t you use .adoc files?

Typically you see AsciiDoc files with an .adoc or .asciidoc file extension. But since they are just text files and since Asciidoctor will try to render any text file you feed it, I choose to use .txt so people can easily edit the files in Notepad.

Additional Info

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/08/16/How-to-build-a-website-with-Asciidoctor.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/08/16/How-to-build-a-website-with-Asciidoctor.htmlSun, 16 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[Shifting Priorities, Pick One]]>

Often during times of extreme workloads this little project management technique can work wonders for your dev team that is faced with too many project deadlines or too much scope creep.

Try using this script when dealing with project owners.

You said your top priority was the ABC project.

Now you say your top priority is this new XYZ project.

So we are going to stop work on the old ABC project and start work on the new XYZ one. Is that really what you want?

Okay then the old ABC project is not going to get done by 'end of quarter' [insert former completion goal date here]

The concept is to get the project owner to pick their top priority and acknowledge that their choice of shifting priorities or adding to the scope of the project has just pushed the former completion goal date into the future.

This gives the project owner an opportunity to re-evaluate their top priority on the spot.

And it can be a quick, informal conversation that works just like the formal process of making them sign off on project changes.

Either way it gives the development team the reaffirmation that they are working on the project owner’s top priority.

This is very important from a team morale standpoint because the dev team now knows they no longer should be working on the old ABC project at this time. And that the project owner just acknowledged that they just pushed back the deadline for the old ABC project.

Later if the project owner complains that the original deadline for old ABC project goes past, you can list their choice to move the dev team on to the XYZ project which moved the deadline. You just have to keep track of their choices and how long it takes to accomplish them. Of course YMMV (your mileage may vary) in the business world, but at least you have a strong, written justification of what happened.

Also each time you meet with that project owner, you start by asking: 'We are still working on the new XYZ project, is that still your top priority?'

Then you can go on to talk about any new projects and finish the meeting with 'Okay we’ll put today’s discussion of changes in the backlog and keep working on the new XYZ project'.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/07/13/Shifting-Priorities-Pick-One.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/07/13/Shifting-Priorities-Pick-One.htmlMon, 13 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[Local AsciiDoc Website]]>

In my last post I briefly mentioned how you could make a local website out of your docs using only

I have a lot of documentation that I update and refer to everyday. It is marked up with AsciiDoc. I find the best way to work with it is to organize all my docs and link them together into a mini-website on my laptop.

Templates to get you started

To get you started, I’ve created a few docs and linked them together so you can quickly see how this works.

Start by cloning this repo: Asciidoctor-LivePreview-Website

You can just download the .ZIP and place the files together in a directory.

Asciidoctor.js Live Preview

Install the Asciidoctor.js Live Preview in your browser if you don’t already have it

Set the options for it

  • Safe mode: unsafe

  • Preview .txt files: (so you can use these .txt files in addition to .adoc files)

  • Click save.

If you are using Firefox change all your file extensions to .adoc because there’s no option to use .txt at this time.

Open the index.txt in your browser

Find the directory where you copied the text files from the Asciidoctor-LivePreview-Website repo.

Right-click on index.txt and open with Chrome.

You should see it open and render like a mini-website. Click around and test it out.

Start Editing it.

When you take look at the text files you’ll notice that the index.txt file has

 include::header.txt[]

 include::footer.txt[]

You can use those in all your docs to create a navigation menu at the top and a mini-sitemap at the bottom. You’ll find header.txt and footer.txt in the repository. I’ve used AsciiDoc tables to make the columns.

Or leave them off and just add a link back to the index.txt page

I usually edit in one window on the left and preview the changes in Chrome on the right.

Linking your docs together

The main AsciiDoc code you’ll need to hook your docs together is link. It’s pretty straight forward to use. It looks like this:

link:AnotherDocument.txt[Another Document]

Bookmark your index.txt file

Don’t forget to bookmark your main doc. If index.txt seems too 'WebDev' like, you might want to name it README.txt. Then write links to all your other docs creating a simple website.

Not quite a wiki

It is not the same as a wiki but it is so simple to edit you might think it’s better than a wiki. Store your files in a repository and you’ll even have the history of changes you make.

You could build an intranet site on your network using this concept.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/04/09/Local-Ascii-Doc-Website.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/04/09/Local-Ascii-Doc-Website.htmlThu, 09 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[Atom Editor for AsciiDoc]]>

Why AsciiDoc?

I’ve used Markdown for years but last year I heard about AsciiDoc at Write The Docs 2014 conference. Then I quickly discovered Asciidoctor and I’ve never looked back.

AsciiDoc is like a superset of Markdown and since Asciidoctor renders Markdown too, it was easy for me to just start using AsciiDoc.

Fast Start with AsciiDoc

I think the fastest way to get started is to install the Asciidoctor.js Live Preview extension for Chrome.

Set the options for it

  • Safe mode: unsafe (because you’ll want to do all the cool stuff with it)

  • Preview .txt files: (so you can use .txt in addition to .adoc)

  • Theme / Stylesheet: (colony or maker are my favorites)

Click save.

Open your favorite text editor and start writng. Format your doc with AsciiDoc. Here’s some links to get you started with the syntax:

Open your text file in Chrome to start previewing it. Have your text editor open right next to Chrome so you have a side-by-side editor|viewer. Each time you save you’ll see your changes rendered in Chrome.

Pro Tip: Bookmark your AsciiDoc text file. Then write links to all your other docs creating a simple wiki or intranet site on your computer; powered by this browser extension and a text editor.

Asciidoctor.js Live Preview is also available for Firefox but it is not as mature as the Chrome version as of the time of this writing. But I’m sure it will catch up quickly.

Atom Editor

In my opinion the Atom Editor is the best editor for working with AsciiDoc files. It’s free and it works on Linux, Mac and Windows.
— Ted Bergeron

You’ll need these two packages for the Atom Editor to make working with AsciiDoc a dream. Go to File > Settings > Install. Search for 'AsciiDoc'. Both of these are by 'asciidoctor'

  • language-asciidoc

  • asciidoc-preview

language-asciidoc for syntax highlighting

This package gives you beautiful syntax highlighting for AsciiDoc files. It automatically detects .adoc files. But I use .txt files. To get the syntax highlighting to lightup, click the Plain Text in the lower right-hand status bar and select AsciiDoc from the drop-down.

Using .txt First your spell checker is going to work. Secondly I think it is an advantage to use .txt files in the repository so after I’m long gone, anyone can still open the files and work with them; even if they’ve never heard of AsciiDoc formatting. Although it would be a simple command to change file extentions from .adoc back to .txt.

Experiment with different Atom themes to find syntax colors that work best for you.

asciidoc-preview for live previewing

The asciidoc-preview package gives you the perfect side-by-side editor|viewer for working with your text files.

Toggle Preview (Ctrl+Shift+A)

To toggle the preview window use Packages > AsciiDoc > Toggle Preview (Ctrl+Shift+A)

Toggle Soft Wrap

You might also want to use menu View > Toggle Soft Wrap so you can see all your text in the editor pane. You can toggle it on by default in File > Settings > Editor Settings > Soft Wrap.

Windows Version: If the AsciiDoc Toggle Preview (Ctrl+Shift+A) has stopped working in Windows version of Atom Editor. Find menu File > Open Your Keymap. It will likely be a empty file. Add this code and save it:
keymap file
'atom-workspace, atom-workspace atom-text-editor':
  'ctrl-shift-a': 'asciidoc-preview:toggle'
  'ctrl-alt-a': 'asciidoc-preview:toggle-render-on-save-only'

line-ending-converter for Windows

When you open text files that have been edited with Atom in Notepad you might find it only has line-feeds ("\n") and no Windows carriage returns ("\r\n"). There is another package to convert line endings called line-ending-converter

Use menu Packages > Convert Line Endings To > Windows Format

and save.

Other Editors?

Of course there are other editors that handle AsciiDoc as well. Brackets has a previewer. Vim, Sublime Text and NotePad++ have syntax highlighting. But I’ll stick with Atom. It works on my Windows and Linux machines.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/03/29/Atom-Editor-for-Ascii-Doc.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/03/29/Atom-Editor-for-Ascii-Doc.htmlSun, 29 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[The future of apps]]>

To me the future is where you can develop web apps that access native features of the devices. You host it as a website because it is your website that just happens to be responsive.

The concept of getting "apps" from iTunes or Play Store becomes a thing of the past or morphs into a search engine of websites formerly called apps.

I’m so ready for the 21st century to get started.

— Ted Bergeron
]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/03/05/The-future-of-apps.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/03/05/The-future-of-apps.htmlThu, 05 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[We've all been warned]]>

about building a house upon the sand.

Software is like Sandcastles

Software is basically building a sandcastle. With each turn of the tide, you’ll have shore up some walls and strengthen the foundation.

Often a high tide will require a complete rebuild.

— Ted Bergeron

I don’t like this analogy, but it is pretty true.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/02/11/Weve-all-been-warned.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/02/11/Weve-all-been-warned.htmlWed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[Turn KDE Trackpad Off]]>

I use Slackware Linux on a DELL D630 laptop. I never use a mouse and I rely on the trackpad for all my mousing needs.

I was trying to adjust the brightness. DELL uses the Function (Fn) key + Up and Down Arrows.

I was trying to turn the brightness down and I accidentally pressed: Fn + (auto brightness) Left Arrow which apparently is a KDE keyboard-shortcut to turn off the touchpad permanently.

How handy…​ Not! There is a popup message letting you know the touchpad has been turned off.

Now it is only turned off for the user that is logged in. I can’t find a keyboard shortcut for turning it back on.

So now every time I reboot, I have to get out a mouse and search for the trackpad and turn it back on.

Here’s what I have to do now each and every time I reboot. Open a terminal.

# xinput list

I usually find my touchpad on 11 or 12. It seems to jump around each boot. This is what it looks like

AlpsPS/2 DualPoint TouchPad id=12 [slave pointer (2)]

So this time it is #12. Next run this command:

# xinput set-prop 12 "Device Enabled" 1

This immediately restores the trackpad.

set-prop to whatever id number your touchpad is. I believe the 1 at the end means true.

I don’t know if there is a permanently way to restore the trackpad. I’m sure there is a setting somewhere. Of course I could create a new user.

]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/02/05/Turn-KDE-Trackpad-Off.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/02/05/Turn-KDE-Trackpad-Off.htmlThu, 05 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT<![CDATA[Dell Numlock]]>

I figured out that to use the NumLock you have to turn it on, And then press and hold the Function (Fn) key in order to use the number pad on the keyboard.

I have an old Dell Latitude D630. This is the default setting. Another completely unintuitive default setting.

This is controlled by BIOS settings. Reboot and press F2 to get into the settings.

Find and change these two settings. One to use Numlock only. And another to turn Numlock off when booting.

I finally figured out how to use the NumLock key on my laptop

— Ted Bergeron
]]>https://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/02/03/Dell-Numlock.htmlhttps://tedbergeron.github.io/2015/02/03/Dell-Numlock.htmlTue, 03 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT