Famous Embedded sites

     Embedded Sites

a.        http://www.eetimes.com/ 

b.        http://www.stackoverflow.com

c.  http://www.vdcresearch.com/market_research/embedded_software/

d.        http://lwn.net/

e.        http://www.linuxfordevices.com/

f.         http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/embedded

g.        http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/

h.       http://hackaday.com/

     Blogs:

a.        http://embeddedgurus.com/

b.        http://www.techbites.com/

c.        http://chipdesignmag.com/blogs/index.php

d.        http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs

e.        http://www.engadget.com/

f.         http://arstechnica.com/

g.        http://spectrum.ieee.org/

h.       http://arstechnica.com/

i.          http://www.gamasutra.com/

j.          http://codingrelic.geekhold.com/

Playing with Pidgin

Automatically Joining channels:

On the buddy list, select Buddies->Add Chat. Use this dialog to add the chat to your buddy list. Once the chat appears in your list, right-click on it and select Auto-Join. The channel will auto-join whenever you sign onto your IRC account.

Setting Real Name:

Go to the Accounts menu. Select your IRC account and click Edit Account. Click the Advanced tab. Enter a name in the Real Name field.

Purchasing a new CNG cylinder

1) There are many brands of cylinders available in market. OGRA (Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority) of Pakistan has list of approved CNG cylinders at http://www.ogra.org.pk/images/data/downloads/1275560046.pdf. Among these cylinders, all Italian cylinders are considered better than others. But I could not find any new Italian cylinder in the market. Faber, which is regarded as best, comes with all company fitted CNG Suzuki cars. It is also light in weight than all other cylinders.

2) I read at http://tribune.com.pk/story/239492/ogra-bans-cng-cylinder-import-from-12-suppliers/ that OGRA has banned import of Faber and EKC cylinders. I sent a query at Pakwheels to know about ban on
EKC as almost all CNG workshops are selling it.
Here is link to my post http://www.pakwheels.com/forums/cng/176639-ekc-dubai-banned-ogra. I also tried calling OGRA representatives but could not find any information from them. I even called at their Islamabad office and sent an email to their chairman and his team but none of them bothered to reply.

3) Finally, I got below reply from OGRA regarding the email I sent to all their officials.

4) The capacity of CNG cylinder is measured in water liters. Cylinder installed my car was Delamine (Italian brand) with capacity of 28.5L. Its CNG capacity was 4.5kg CNG. I planned to change it with 50L cylinder that can contain 8kg CNG.

5) I tested my car's cylinder from HDIP Lahore and put an add to sell it on back of my car. I also placed an add on OLX which I think is a very good place to sell your stuff. But I did not have much time so I decided to sell it to some dealer.

6) I got list of CNG centers in Lahore from http://www.pakcng.com/CNGdealers.asp?City=Lahore. I called them one by one but all of them asked me to visit their shop. So I decided to visit Bhawalpur road (road of Miani grave yard).

7) I also visited this workshop as it was recommended by a pak wheeler http://www.pakwheels.com/forums/cng/173518-best-workshop-cng-lahore-johar-town. I got the best rate from Bahawalpur road dealers. My plan was to go to Noor CNG a.k.a Butt CNG but he refused to purchase second hand cylinder. So I went to Gasline, had some negotiations with him and finally purchased new 50L E.K.C in 9k with exchange of my current cylinder.

Purchasing a new Suzuki car

I purchased new Suzuki Mehran 2011 for my Aunt last month. Below are the things I learned during this experience.

1.    Get a list of Suzuki’s authorized dealers from PAK Suzuki’s website http://www.paksuzuki.com.pk/Automobile/Pages/DealersNew.aspx.
2.  If you are planning to purchase car with own, do not contact just one dealer. Contact all of them because own is a variable amount and it totally depends on your negotiations with dealer.
3. Price of car = Base price of car + freight charges + Own
4. Call any of these dealers, negotiate with him and ask him to confirm car for you. After this you can visit him any time and pay token money after looking at the car. They don’t allow to take test drive of car ( I don’t know why). According to them test drive is allowed only for newly launched brands.
5. Regarding payment, you need to make pay order of base price against name of Pak Suzuki pvt. Ltd.
6. While taking the vehicle, do check everything including following:

a.       Front lights (low, high and dippers)

b.      Indicators (right, left and hazard light)

c.       Horn

d.       Wipers (water thrower)

e.      AC

f.        Petrol to CNG conversion

g.       Tools

h.      All doors are closing properly and locks are also working

i.     Keep the engine running for some time and check the temperature needle.

How to setup Synergy

Steps:

1) Install synergy on both machines. e.g. I have two machines one windows and other Ubuntu box. For Windows download synergy from http://synergy-foss.org/download/ and for Ubuntu "apt-get install synergy".

2) My Windows machine is on left side and Ubuntu is on right. I want to share keyboard and mouse of ubuntu machine with windows machine.

3) On Windows run installed synergy and select "Use another computer's shared keyboard and mouse(client)" radio button and enter host name of ubuntu machine. It will look like this:

Click Advance button and choose screen name for Windows machine. I chose "windowspc"

4) On your Ubuntu machine create a file synergy.conf and enter following text:


    section: screens
    taimoor-ubuntu:
    windowspc:
    end


    section: aliases
    windowspc:
    137.202.157.185
    end


    section: links
    taimoor-ubuntu:
    left = windowspc
    windowspc:
    right = taimoor-ubuntu
    end


    section: options
    screenSaverSync = false
    # hotkey to lock the cursor to the screen to something else
    keystroke(f12) = lockCursorToScreen(toggle)
    end


5) Copy this file to /etc/ directory using command "sudo cp ~/synergy.conf /etc/"

6) Run synergy server on your ubuntu with command: "synergys --config /etc/synergy.conf" and on windows click Start button

7) Enjoy. You can also make syngery auto start on both Windows and ubuntu. For this on Windows, synergy dialog has autostart option. Click it and select whether to start synergy on computer start or on Login. On Ubuntu, go to System->Preferences->Startup Applications and add new application. Name it synergys and in command box give command "synergys --config /etc/synergy.conf"

Fan Hunt

Places to visit:

If you don't want to avoid all the hassle then go and purchase G.F.C fan from Metro. You'll only have to pay around 3 to 4 hundred extra. Otherwise go to

1) Beadon Road
2) Abid Market

Beadon road prices are a bit less than Abid Market but it has problem of parking. I found a difference of around 200 Rs. in price of pedestal fan.

Brands to look for:

1. Pak Fan: Almost all my contacts recommended it and gave me positive feedback about it. Price is a bit more than 2 and 3 but I rate it higher than them.

2. G.F.C Fan: Good quality fan in its price. Price is a bit less than pak fan but I found it very good.

3. Royal Fan: They claim to give life time warranty but I was surprised to read their card. On their card they have written that company will only provide free service and parts for first 3 years. After that they'll charge.
But overall I got good feedback of it.

4. Lahore Fan: Many people recommended it by saying that its speed is much more than other brands.

Other than these their is a Wahid fan and almost all shop keepers say that Wahid fan is also from Pak fan manufacturers (Wahid industries) buttttttttt.....this is not the case. Their owners are relative but they have different industries and there is a difference in quality of both fans.

Going Back to IRC

Basic IRC Commands:

• /join #channel_name
• To join channel 'channel_name'.
• Forexample /join #water_cooler
• /me [action message]
• Action message. 
• e.g. /me is writing new blog post. it will be displayed as taimoor is writing new blog post
• /nick [new nick]
• To change IRC nick.
• e.g. /nick tmirza_ubuntu will change nick to tmirza_ubuntu
• /quit
• Quit IRC
• /whois [nick name]
• provides 

IRC Shorthand messages:

Jargon	Meaning
AFAIK	As Far As I Know
AFK	Away From keyboard
BRB	Be Right Back
B/C	Because
D/L	Download
EOF	End Of File
EOD	End Of Discussion
FYI	For Your Information
GTG	Got To Go
IAC	In Any Case
IMHO	In My Humble Opinion
IMO	In My Opinion
IIRC	If I Recall/Remember Correctly
LOL	Laughing Out Loud
NP	No Problem
OMG	Oh My God
OTOH	On The Other Hand
RTDM	Read The Damn Manual
RTFM	Read The F**** Manual
TXS	Thanks
TYVM	Thank You Very Much
TGIF	Thanks God Its Friday
WB	Welcome Back
Z	Zzzzzz. Sleeping

NJY,
Taimoor

How to purchase second hand car

Increase in prices of first hand cars has increased demand of second hand cars. First hand cars have really got out of budget range of many ppl. Even low quality cars like Mehran are above 500k......ahhhh (where on earth should I go)....
But purchasing a second hand car is never easy especially in Pakistan where you can not trust anyone. Below is a list of things that I learned from my experience:

Not recommended things:

• Do not purchase car from dealers unless dealer is some very good friend or relative of yours. I am not saying all dealers are fraud......but its not recommended.
• Do not purchase car with duplicate registration book. It could be a security risk plus its very hard to sell such cars. Even if you purchase one, you'll not be able to resale it whenever you want.
• Do not purchase cars registered outside your province. If you live in Lahore then better purchase car Lahore number car. Cars registered in other provinces will be stopped at every check post and are very hard to sell.

CheckList:

Check all these things before purchasing car:

• Condition of Car's body: Check its side panels and floor by removing floor mats. Its better to take car to some mechanic or any other place where it can be elevated so that you can check it from downside. 
• Conditon of car's engine: This is a bit tricky. But few important things to check are:
• No black smoke from exhaust: Start car and accelerate it a bit then check the color of smoke from its exhaust pump. Put some white color tissue paper on its exhaust pump to see whether some carbon elements are there or not. You can also rub the tissue against inside walls of exhaust and see the black particles on inside walls of exhaust.
• Check the engine oil level. If car is consuming more engine oil, it means engine is wearing down. 
• Drive the car and check its pick in different gears.
• Major accidented or not: Best is to show it to some denter. I normally check doors by opening and closing them few times. If they are settling smoothly, it means okay. But I wouldn't recommend paying to some unknown denter/mechanic to go with you to visit some car. In this case they will not give you right opinion as they are only concerned with money. They'll recommend you very first car you'll visit with them, take money from you and go away.......
• Verify car's data: Easiest way is to go to mtmis website i.e. http://mtmis.punjab.gov.pk/, give car's registration number and get its details. Otherwise go to excise and taxation office.
• Book is original or not
• City of registration, you'll see a significant difference in karachi and Lahore/ISB registered cars.
• Tokens are complete or not
• Owner number (first/second/third ... hand)
• Car Mileage: Its always better to purchase less driven car.
• Original paint or not

Cheers,

Dealing with the DEALER

.....Coming soon..... Learned many things while making first deal of my life........will share it in few days.

How to get a house on rent

I have learned all this with my experience of shifting and some bad experiences of dealing with owners :(.....

1) If you have a small family and you do not expect many guests, do not go for big house then. 5 to 7M single story house with two bed + drawing is enough.

2) Better get a house where owners live in other portion. In this case you can tell them about problems any time and they will take care of things as they themselves will be living there

3) If its a portion then meet second family and get their feedback. Also meet neighbors and ask them about any security or other problems in that area. 

4) If its a portion then better go for one where other portion family is not big too or does not have many children. Otherwise you'll keep on getting noise.

5) Most important thing is write every contract on paper never ever leave any verbal commitment.

6) Electricity meter should be separate.

7) It will be good if motor pump and water tank is separate too otherwise.......you will often be shouting on the other family to switch on the Motor.

8) Check all water taps, electricity buttons, kitchen cupboards, bathroom flush tank. If anything is not working.......tell them.....otherwise you'll have to do this your self.

9) Entrance of your portion should be separate otherwise it will disturb your privacy a lot as you often have to go out late or come home late.

10) If you are planning to install UPS.......tell them in advance.

11) Females are more concerned about kitchen so check kitchen carefully.

12) Gas Geaser should be installed and working. Check it by igniting it. 

13) Ask owner one thing clearly......if something common gets out of order.......who will be responsible for its maintenance and how much you'll have to pay in percentage?

Enjoy......

Vim + ctags

I am on my Ubuntu Linux box. I have started using vim and ctags to traverse my source code.

Installation:

• Installed vim and ctags. "sudo apt-get install vim" and "sudo apt-get install ctags".

Source Tagging:

• In source directory "ctags -R *" and edit source file with "vim sourcefile.c"
• If it throws error messages like "ctags: skipping asm: it is not a regular file." , it means  you're not running Exuberant Ctags, you're running GNU Emacs etags, which also provides a ctags executable. Run ctags --version and you'll see something like this:   

• ctags (GNU Emacs 23.1)
  Copyright (C) 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
  This program is distributed under the terms in ETAGS.README

   In this case, install ctags with this command "sudo apt-get install ctags" command

Important Commands:

1. Find some symbol: use "/symbolname" e.g. I wanted to search disassembly I gave command "/disassembly".
2. Go to definition:  Ctrl + ]
3. Go Forward: Ctrl + i
4. Go Backward: ctrl + o
5. 
   

Working on GDB

GNU Coding Standards (Recap):

A short recap of the GNU formatting and naming conventions, partly borrowed from XEmacs:

• Put a space after every comma.
• Put a space before the parenthesis that begins a function call, macro call, function declaration or definition, or control statement (if,while, switch, for). (do not do this for macro definitions; this is invalid preprocessor syntax.)
• The brace that begins a control statement (if, while, switch, for) or a function definition should go on a line by itself.
• In function definitions, put the return type and all other qualifiers on a line before the function name. Thus, the function name is always at the beginning of a line.
• Indentation level is two spaces. (However, the first and following statements of a while/for/if/etc. block are indented four spaces from thewhile/for/if keyword. The opening and closing braces are indented two spaces.)
• Variable and function names should be all lowercase, with underscores separating words, except for a prefixing tag, which may be in uppercase. Do not use the mixed-case convention (e.g. SetVariableToValue ()) and especially do not use Microsoft Hungarian notation (char **rgszRedundantTag).
• Preprocessor constants and enumerations should be all uppercase, and should be prefixed with a tag that groups related constants together.

GNU Coding Standards Compatibility test:

• Use "check_GNU_style.sh" from http://gcc.gnu.org/viewcvs/trunk/contrib/check_GNU_style.sh

Basic Vim Commands

Vim Command	Example	Description
/[pattern]	/gdb_disassembly	It will find gdb_disassembly in the file and you can move to next instance using n
n	n	Move next instance of matched pattern
yy	yy	Copy the current line
[n]yy	3yy	Copy 3 lines including current one
p	p	Paste copied line
dd	dd	Cut the current line
:w	:w	Write/save the current file
:wq	:wq	Write/save and quit
:q	:q	Quit
:q!	:q!	Quit without saving
u	u	Undo last action
U	U	Undo all latest changes to current line
Ctrl+r	Ctrl+r	Redo
:n	:42	Go to line number 42

Lahore property survey

Zero level Diagram:

Lahore can be divided in to 4 major areas:

1. Central Lahore 
• This includes central city ( Ravi side, UET side, Chauburji side) as well as extended city areas( from Kalma chowk to Johar town)
2. Future Extension of city on Airport side
• This includes all DHA phases, Green city, Paragon and other societies.
3. Future extension of city on Ferozpur road
• This includes everything towards Ibrahim masjid Pak Arab society,  EDEN dream homes, Central Park and many others
4. Future extension of city on Thokar Niaz baig side
• This includes all socieities on Raiwind road and Canal road after thokar.

First Level:

After abit evaluation I have decided to rule out option 2 and 3 because:

• Ferozpur road side traffic is horrible .......
• Ferozpur road side is far from Lahore exit points i.e. Motorway and Ravi side.
• Airport side is occupied by DHA and even empty DHA phases where there is no possession for next 5 years are very expensive.
• Airport road side is also far from Lahore exit points.

But if any of you or your friend like to purchase on these sides I'll recommend Pak Arab on Ferozpur road and Green City on airport side. Green city is just awesome but it has become quite expensive now.

Second Level:

So we are left with two options 1 and 4.

Regarding 1:
                   First of all

why I choose Option 1?

It is because

• It is already developed with all facilities are available normally at walking distance.
• With increasing fuel prices, you can not afford to travel 50km daily.
• With increasing traffic in Lahore travel time is increasing day by day, especially on car but this issue might get resolved after ring road construction.
• All other facilities like schools, hospitals, markets(anarkali and Liberty) are not very far away.
• I am a S/W development engineer and most of the software houses are not outside main city.

Now second question is where in City?
                  
The heart of main city is where I am currently living, cavalry ground . It is in the mid of All four sides which I have discussed above and is also quite peaceful. But as you guys know this area is very expensive like in Cavalry extension where I am living, its 6 lac/marla for plot.
There is one area which is in Cantt which is still a bit cheap i.e.Ali park. Its on baidiyan road towards Bhatta chowk. I measured its distance and it is exactly 4km from Cavalry. Plot prices are abit high but not too high.......one can get a good 5M plot in 14-16lac. I know some of you must be thinking about construction problem.......just hold on......I'll also discuss it  :)

why I choose Option 4?

It is because

• These are abit cheaper than main city.
• New societies are quite well developed.
• Nearer to Lahore exit point.

Now where in Option4?

I have visited almost all societies nearly 25 or 30 during last one year on this side. I don't know if I have left any. Most of the societies on Raiwind road and on Canal road (after thokar) are not populated. Few good and populated are Eden, EME, Muhafiz town, Izmir(not fully). I am ruling out EME and EDEN as EME with DHA tag has become 4lac/marla and Eden has homes built by Eden developers. Prices in other societies are 2 to 2.5 for 10 marla and 2.5lac/marla for 5M plot. There is one more socieity on this side THE FAMOUS BAHRIA TOWN. Good things about Bahria are that it is abit cheaper, well developed and well maintained societies..........BUTTTTTT it has some big issues

1) Distance
               It is 30km from Cavalry ground........means 60km drive daily ............It took me 40mins to reach cavalry ground from Bahria at around 7PM.
2) Hidden charges
               One time charges: Map approval charges 60k, Drawing charges 30k, Utilities  60K, TMA fee approx. 20k.
               Monthly charges: 2k
 Also no alteration is allowed and you can not just keep your plot after possession.....you have to build house within 3years after possession otherwise you'll have to bear non construction charges on monthly basis.

3) Bad repute of its owner

Possible House building plans:

There are 3 possible plans

1) Get plot in any area and the construct depending upon the budget. e.g. if I am left with some savings after plot purchase then construct single story house and start living there and then construct as per requirement and budget.
2) Get an already build 5 or 4M house using Meezan bank's house financing option.
3) Get some relatively old (10+) single story small house in main city and shift there. Like a dealer showed me a 6marla single story house in Ali park. He was demanding 25lac for it and I think can be negotiated to 20 to 22lac.

Now all these 3 also have there pros and cons....... I hope you know about them......but to summarise

For 1: Pros: Construct as you like and according to your requirement. House will be new.
          Cons: its not easy to construct house.......hassle.....and also I'll not get rid of monthly rent which is increasing....

For 2. Pros: I'll be able to get rid of rent. Choose any house I like and come in my budget + financing limit.
         Cons: Have to pay some Heavy amount to bank.

For 3. Pros:  I'll be able to get rid of rent. No bank financing means no extra charges. I can resale it later or can demolish and rebuild new one.
         Cons: This option is only available inside city.