Virtual box Tips

Some tips with setting up minimal ubuntu installation in VirtualBox.

• Start with the ubuntu server installation to keep the installation size small.
• Use dynamic disks to keep disk usage small on the host.
• Keep separate partitions for usr, var as these grow over time.
• If you did not start with separate partitions for usr and var, you can move them later. http://askubuntu.com/questions/656/how-to-move-usr-to-a-new-partition
• Use CloneVDI to compact the virtual disks. This is particularly useful if 'df' shows low disk usage but the .vdi file is large.
• Use xmonad for a window manager.
• No need for a graphical login manager if it is just a single user system. Use rungetty and startx to autoboot to a graphical desktop. http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?p=166147#p166147
• Use apt-file to find the package that provides a specific file.
• Append :i386 to a package name if you want the 32 bit version on a 64 bit kernel.

Learning Haskell

I have started learning Haskell to scratch an itch. I started with Learn you a Haskell and Real world Haskell as widely recommended. But the below link brought me some clarity.

Haskell IO for Imperative Programmers

By taking beginner programs like File IO, Hello World and implementing them in Haskell, it shows how start thinking in functional programming terms.Hope it helps you as well.

[Updated 27 July 2013]

As I am going through intial chapters of "Learn you a haskell", the exercises in Ninety Nine Haskell problems have been very helpful. Solving the first ten problems gave me a good grasp of the first five chapters of the book.I could try out lists, tuples, recursion, guards and case statements. Good exercise.

The Camera Question

After about an year without a camera, I have finally bought a new camera(Canon IXUS 230 HS). I started off looking for a compact DSLR(does that even exist?)  but ended up buying an ultra compact point and shoot camera. The inbuilt image stabilization works very well. The macro mode is so amazing that I have been shooting in macro mode most of the time. I might even put together a small light tent for macro photos.
The only niggle I have is getting the camera to focus on the object in a cluttered scene. Hopefully I can figure out how to do that.

While comparing cameras, I discovered www.snapsort.com. This is probably the best camera comparison on the web for a layman.  This is how it compared my old camera vs. my  new one. This is so awesome if I was Amazon I would acquire their site.