Unfortunately it seems this guide may no longer work - at least it didn't when I attempted it in Linux Mint 12 (based on Ubuntu). The guide remains here for posterity, but I accept no liability for anything that may go wrong should you attempt to follow it.

Whilst Amazon are to be congratulated for providing version of their software for Linux, I think it's quite poor that after a little more than three years there is still no 64-bit support.

Never mind - guess I'll just be using 7Digital or buying more CDs.

--

At long last Amazon has launched it's MP3 music store in the UK, providing more choice for DRM free music downloading (along with the likes of 7Digital and Play.com).

The new store very kindly provides downloading software which is designed to make downloading albums straightforwarded, and even more kindly they have provided a version of the software for Linux. Unfortunately there is not a native 64-bit version of the software so anyone attemping to do a straight install will come up against an error due to the differences in architecture.

Fortunately, in Ubuntu 8.10 at least, this is very easy to overcome, just by following these simple instructions:

• Download GetLibs (provides libraries for 32-bit software on a 64-bit architecture) from http://www.boundlesssupremacy.com/Cappy/getlibs/getlibs-all.deb saving it to your desktop
• Double click on the GetLibs icon, on your desktop to launch the installer. Install this package
• Download the Amazon MP3 Downloader installer for Ubuntu 8.10 from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/dmusic/help/amd.html/ref=sv_dmusic_3">here</a>, saving it to your desktop.
• Open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal)
• Move to the Desktop directory:

  cd Desktop

• Attempt an install of the downloader:
  

  sudo dpkg --install --force-architecture amazonmp3.deb

• The install will show dependency errors. Do not worry about these.
• Run GetLibs on the downloader install, stating Yes if you're prompted to continue at any point:

  sudo getlibs /usr/bin/amazonmp3

• The downloader is now installed, and can be started from the 'Run Application' dialog (ALT+F2) by typing amazonmp3

The first time an album is purchased using Amazon MP3, the browser will ask what application to use to open Amazon's AMZ file. Point the browser to the Amazon Downloader which can be found in /usr/bin/amazonmp3. Tick the box to use this program from now on, and that will be the only time the browser will ask.

Just time to write my traditional message celebrating the new year, which will arrive in about 55 minutes time.

Lucky for me I got the website upgraded in time, otherwise I would have had to have missed it. That would have been a shame since it's something I've written for years now.

One of my resolutions for 2011 was to write more blog posts. Unfortunately I think I failed at that somewhat since my last entry was in October - coincidentally exactly the same as in 2010. The hold on blog posts was down to the database upgrade rather than the lack of any ideas so perhaps if I carry the resolution over, I'll be more successful in 2012 than this year. Perhaps I'll have even more to write about thanks to a little event occurring in February.

My other resolution was to learn more French, and whilst I'm certainly nowhere near competent enough to even attempt casual conversation I think it's fair to say I'm better than I was this time last year. Of course, learning a language has to be continuous so I'll continue to attempt to improve over the next twelve months and, with the lack of anything better, I'll carry that resolution forward as well.

So, with 48 minutes of the year remaining; happy new year!

It didn't take too long before I got bored of the appearance of my website. The last version only lasted for 10 months having been launched in February 2011.

I decided I wanted something cleaner, with straighter edges and fewer lines. I wanted a site which worked better visually including better javascript functions and better use of AJAX. To that end, I have launched this new version - the tenth - with a brand new colour scheme, which fulfils my above requirements.

Whilst the overall layout of the site remains similar, the layout of blog entries better focuses on the content, moving secondary information out of the main flow. Borders are more subtle and the main menu easier to read and more focussed. A secondary menu (Tools) provides access to the smaller parts of the site such as the postcode lookup tool. Images embedded in blog entries can now be enlarged in an embedded popup container.

There have been changes behind the scenes too, with an entirely new database running the show. This has been the most significant alteration as the data from the old database had to be migrated. I took the opportunity to recreate record ID numbers which made the migration all the more difficult. I am anticipating that some data probably hasn't come across yet but the old system does still exist so I can continue to work on that if it transpires that something is missing.

The database change has also meant that I've had to start rebuilding my CMS (Content Management System). Obviously it needs to correctly use the new database which has meant some fundamental re-writing of queries and PHP code. That work is still ongoing so new entries may continue to be infrequent. For example, although I've got it working for adding and updating entries, I cannot yet add new hyperlinks or upload image files.

Still, the last blog entry here was back in October so if posts aren't that frequent I don't think it really matters.

Following some minor but annoying failures and the poor performance of its ageing CPU, last weekend I upgraded my server from a single core 2.4GHz Celeron (circa 2007) with 623MB of RAM to a dual-core Celeron E3600 2.6GHz CPU with 2GB of DDR3 RAM.

The old server had done well, having been run continuously for over four years, initially as a general machine and then pushed into service as a server following the failure of its predecessor, but its age was showing. I'd been running the storage drive via an external USB2 caddy for some time due to the failure of the internal SATA controller and that would lose connection from time-to-time. Most inconvenient since you could almost guarantee it would happen when I was away for a few days.

I also wanted to run services in virtual machines, but on attempting to run just a single VirtualBox machine proved too much for it. That was the final straw, prompting me to purchase a bare minimum of components to conduct the upgrade whilst keeping costs to a minimum.

To that end, I bought a new motherboard and the aforementioned CPU and RAM. Everything else has been kept, including the case; power supply; optical drives and disk drives. The cost of the upgrade came in at a little over £80. I was pleased.

So now the upgrade is complete, this site is hosted on a virtual machine. That means it is easy for me to experiment with other servers on other virtual machines without affecting the website. I've already been playing with DNS and DHCP servers and I expect I'll revisit mail servers and possibly VPN at some point too!

As an aside, it turns out that the upgrade could not have come at a better time. My general PC, used for day-to-day computing, decided to fail a few days ago so I established a virtual machine on the server running Linux Mint to tide me over until I could open it up. Removing the CMOS battery for 5 minutes got it going again and I've also replaced the PSU from another failed machine to hopefully resolve some intermittent power problems.

It's been a busy week for tinkering!

Server Specifications

CPU: Intel Celeron E3400 2.6GHz
Motherboard: Asus P5G41T-M LX G41
RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR3 1066MHz
Storage HDD: Western Digital WD20EARS Caviar Green 2TB

Web Server Specifications

Software: VirtualBox
RAM: 768MB
Video: 1MB
OS: Ubuntu Server 10.04LTS

It was a tough decision, but after four and a half years with eMusic (since Feb 2007), I've cancelled my subscription. I hovered over the cancel button for some time before I finally clicked it, but I've convinced myself that it's the right thing to do.

For a few months now, using my monthly quota of downloads has become a bit of chore. Not because I'm starting to dislike music (although I am in a bit of a lull at the moment), but I'm having difficulty finding things to download. It had got to the point where, a few days before the monthly roll-over, I'd be downloading just for the sake of ensuring I got my money's worth.

The decision wasn't helped by the fact that I was on a grandfathered price plan. I was paying £14.99 per month which entitled me to 75 download credits (or £31.50 worth of music in the current pricing system of 42p per track). It was a good deal - if I had that much to download each month - and there was an incentive to stick with it just because that offer is no longer available. In the end though, I found by the end of each month, I'd sometimes barely made a mark on my credit. I wasn't even getting my payment's worth of music without struggling.

It was good whilst it latest though. My emusic folder consists of 4,711 tracks and at least 340 albums. I've discovered some artists that have become favourites of mine including The National, The Duckworth Lewis Method, Teenage Fanclub, Stornoway, Nada Surf, Midlake, Fleet Foxes, British Sea Power - these are just some that jump out at me as I scroll through the list.

So now I've cut my ties, I can either save myself some money each month or re-invest it. Perhaps I'll buy more CDs each month, or start shopping with 7Digital more (particularly if their FLAC selection improves). Alternatively, I'll spend it on ebooks since they are my latest thing!