Daniel E. Markle's Blog

Here is the easiest process I have found for setting up Ruby and PostgreSQL on OS X Leopard at this time.

I recommend PostgreSQL for Mac instead of fink as it is more actively maintained and easier to install. Note that when downloading, use the alternate download not the Sourceforge links, as the Sourceforge download is not current and has issues. This installer places the PostgreSQL CLI commands in /Library/PostgreSQL8/bin/ and will auto-start PostgreSQL on system startup. It includes some graphical tools, but I recommend ignoring them and and installing pgAdmin III if you want an administration GUI (I usually just use the CLI tools).

Ruby has a couple PostgreSQL gems, I recommend ruby-pg which appears to be the only one actively maintained. The easiest way to get it installed is to download the latest .gem, then run the following command to install it in the directory where you saved it (replace the version number as necessary):

PATH=$PATH:/Library/PostgreSQL/bin/ gem install pg-0.7.9.2008.02.05.gem

Don't waste your time trying to find documentation for this gem online, point your browser at the documentation on your local machine, which for this version was at:

file:///Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/doc/pg-0.7.9.2008.02.05/rdoc/index.html

The latest pre-release version of Firefox 3 is available. As a main focus of this release, performance and memory usage are improved. In particular Zimbra, the most heavyweight web application I use, has much better performance when used with this version. A more native look and feel on OS X and Growl notification support are nice features too. It is enough of an improvement that I do not intend to go back to version 2 after experiencing this pre-release.

I use the built-in Apache 2.2 ajp ProxyPass support when deploying Tomcat and JBoss applications via Apache. When doing so, be careful your slashes match up or you can have subtle problems with applications which use redirects. For example, I was deploying a JSPWiki but having an odd problem with authentication where logins would seem to fail but then work fine if I manually reloaded the page. I was using this Apache configuration:

ProxyPass /webdevwiki ajp://127.0.0.1:8009/webdevwiki/
ProxyPassReverse /webdevwiki ajp://127.0.0.1:8009/webdevwiki/

This appeared to work fine, but when logging in an extra slash would get added to the Login.jsp redirection page. This kept the redirect to the main page from working, causing it to reload the Login.jsp infinitely even though login had been successful. A manual click of the reload button fixed the site, with authentication and all other functions working until trying to log in again.

ProxyPass /webdevwiki ajp://127.0.0.1:8009/webdevwiki
ProxyPassReverse /webdevwiki ajp://127.0.0.1:8009/webdevwiki

Removing the extra slashes as shown fixed this issue.

After talking about it for a long time, we finally got new windows installed in the living room at Perry View Farm. The old ones were leaking, difficult to open, and had failed seals causing moisture build-up between the panes.

Vinyl new construction windows from Dove Windows (5000 series), these are double hung models that replace the crank-out windows we had before. The additional glass area due to the thinner sides and middle is the most noticeable difference, adding a lot more light and visibility to the room.