Well, I have an answer – and this example will use the Digsby Instant Messenger client. (I’ll get technical after the story below.) Here’s a little background…

I’ve been using Trillian for my instant messaging software of choice since it was version 0.74a back in 2001. And I have never had any problems with it. It’s been a great tool to keep the 20-odd screennames I had back in the day all organized with their appropriate buddy lists joined or separated as necessary. Fortunately, I was invited to use their new Trillian Astra beta program for the past couple years. Using the Astra alpha/beta releases has been nice, as all the features from the Pro accounts were available for testing – that was, until Build 98, when they turned on the Basic/Pro distinction. Much to the chagrin of the beta testers, there was a major uprising because of this, with a lot of focus by the users being put on Chat Logs and server-side synchronization. To the praise of Cerulean Studios, they reinstated the Pro functionality until they gave fair warning in Build 99.

One user mentioned Digsby as an alternative to Trillian. I’ve used other clients like meebo.com as a cross-platform web-based chat, and Pidgin when I used Linux on my laptop (and even tried the Windows version recently). However, Digsby is the only one that provides the closest functionality to Trillian with the many social networks that it connects you to – with the somewhat-noticeable lack of MySpace IM. (But who really uses that anyway?)

Ultimately, I gave Digsby a shot on my laptop, running Windows 7 Beta 1, and it seemed to serve its purposes very nicely. I don’t use the laptop for anything beyond quick internet checking with Google Chrome, collecting my emails in Thunderbird, an alarm clock using Songbird, and sending IMs.

Later, when Trillian released Build 99, I wasn’t thrilled about the limited Basic functionality I was relegated to – but also am not prepared to spend the nominal $25 to upgrade to Pro just yet. (Maybe I will this summer.) So, I installed Digsby at work, and on my desktop computers, and was back in business.

I noticed that once I installed Digsby on the other computers, it migrated my accounts, buddy lists configuration (i.e. meta contacts), and most of my preferences over. It wasn’t until I discovered there were also customizable themes and when I had to look through chat logs on 3 computers, that I noticed a need for further synchronization.

So I set out thinking of a way to do this…and that’s where we start.

I’ve been using Live Mesh since it was Microsoft Groove in Microsoft Office 12 Beta 1. And I thoroughly enjoyed the functionality of being able to keep a single copy of my website code (since I run multiple sites on the-spot.network), and be able to work on them at work, at home, or with my laptop outside of Jamba Juice in Sundance Square, Fort Worth, TX.

You can do this with both Groove or Mesh, but for the purposes of this article (since I don’t have Microsoft Office installed on the laptop), we’ll do it with Mesh (plus Mesh is free, Groove is part of Office 2007).

Warning: Please read before you proceed.

I had to do this SEVERAL times before it actually worked. By “SEVERAL” I mean that I had to reinstall Digsby a LOT because I didn’t do it correctly, or the permissions weren’t setup properly before I tried syncing. If I were you, I’d try something simple first, like creating a folder in Program Files, and sticking a txt file in it, and see if you can get it to sync. Once you’ve followed the instructions and learned how, give it a shot with the program you have in mind.

Ok, you can continue.

Step 1: Sign up for Mesh.com

Step 1: Sign into or up for Mesh.com

Assuming you’ve already got a Windows Live Account, sign into the  Live Mesh website, with your Windows Live ID. Once you sign in, you’ll be taken to your Live Mesh Devices page.

Step 2: Add your computers to Mesh

Step 2: Add your computer to Mesh

From the Devices page, click Add Device. Use the drop-down menu to select your computer’s operating system, and then click Install. This downloads the Live Mesh software to your computer. Once you’ve installed the software, you’re ready to begin synchronizing folders between: your computer and your Live Desktop, your computer and other devices in your mesh, or your computer and a friend’s computer.

Step 2a: Your Live Mesh device window

Do Step 2 on all the computers you wish to sync.

Step 3: What do you want to sync?

Mesh gives you about 5GB of cloud storage space. Because everything you sync between computers is also stored in at the Live Mesh website on your “Live Desktop”, the cumulative sum of all the files you want to keep synchronized cannot exceed 5GB.

For my example, I want to sync my Digsby themes so that I can use my them on whatever computer I am using. So, I navigate to the Program Files folder, and find the Digsbyresskins folder.

Step 4: Setting the right permissions

First things first though – if you’re using Windows Vista and have the User Access Control activated, then you’re not going to be able to write anything to this folder without giving Administrative Privilages. This will prevent Mesh from syncing the files and folders to anything your Program Files directory. So let’s fix it…

1. Right click on skins, choose Properties
2. Click the Security Tab, and hit the Edit button
3. Hit Continue on the UAC window, click the Add button
4. Type your username and domain if needed, and hit OK
   
5. (***If, in Step 8, you don’t see any files showing up, you might need to start over and add the “all user accounts” to have full permissions by selecting “<localhost>users”, and giving it Full Control. Otherwise, go ahead and set that permission now, if you don’t anticipate any security issues in doing so.***)
6. Check the Full Control checkbox, and hit OK, and hit OK again to close all the windows.

Do this same thing on the other computers you’d like to sync with, adding the appropriate username for your account on that particular computer. Now you should be able to write files to that folder without needing approval.

Step 5: Add your folder to your Live Mesh

Step 5: Add the folder to your Live Mesh

Now you’re ready to add your folder to your Live Mesh:

1. First, remove everything in the folder you want to use. In my case, I cut all the theme folders in skins.
2. Right click on skins, choose Add folder to Live Mesh.
3. You’ll get a window that pops up, asking what you’d like to name the folder. I just used “Digsby-skins”. Hit OK.
4. Paste the themes back into skins and let them sync.

Step 6: The progress meters

Step 6: Let the folder Sync to Live Desktop

My entire Digsby installation is about 60MB, with the themes making up about 3MB of that. Depending on what you’re actually syncing, this size will vary greatly – and so will the time it takes for everything to upload. If you open the folder you’ve chosen to sync, you’ll see a sidebar pop out of the right hand side of the window that shows the progress of your device.

Note: You’ll only see the devices that you’ve told to sync with this folder. Mine shows my laptop because I’ve already done this, we’ll get to adding the other devices next.

Step 7: Icon to setup new Mesh folder

Step 7: Setting it up on the other computer.

For this to work, you should have the same program installed on the other computer. This is not meant for sharing a program from computer to computer – just accessories like themes, plugins, settings, etc.

To set up your other computer, start over with Step 1 – install Live Mesh, add the computer, configure the Security settings, cut the contents from the folder you’re going to sync.

Once you’ve added this computer to Live Mesh, you’ll see a desktop icon, in my case “Digsby-skins”.

1. Double click the icon to get the setup window
2. Click Browse and Navigate to the directory you want the sync’d files stored in and hit OK

You’ll want to give it some time to download the files that the source computer has put up on the Live Desktop. You can base that timeframe by the activity of the Progress Meters on the right of the directory window, as the image in Step 6 shows.

Step 8: Conflict Notification

Step 8: Add any files from the secondary computer to be sync’d

Once you have finished syncing the files from the source computer, you can cut/paste the files you moved on the secondary computer, back to their original location. This allows you to Overwrite any files that might be duplicated on both machines, instead of having to resolve any conflicts manually.

After you have copied the files on the secondary computer back to their original location, check to see that they are showing up on the primary computer. If they are, then everything is working like it should.

Step 9: Testing the synchronization

When everything is finally sync’d back between both computers, give it a test. You should now be able to load your program in both places, and if you happen to add a new plugin in one location, it should be available on the other computer soon thereafter.

That’s that…

That is how I have set up my Digsby installation to share Themes, and how I will instruct one of my coworkers to sync her Photoshop brushes between office and home. Let me know what you’re using it for in the comments below.

Technorati Tags: cloud computing, computer, digsby, how do i set up live mesh, How To, internet, live mesh, microsoft, network, plugins, sync, synchronization, theme, Windows

• Their passwords are going to have to change at some point, due to security policy.
• When they change it on their desktop, it’s not automatically done on their laptop.
• After changing the desktop password, they need to connect the laptop to the network and then login with that new password for it to be cached.

Now, it’s easy to write out, and easy for a tech to understand the scenario – but it’s not that easy for a 45yr old Hispanic guy who hates his laptop anyway to grasp. But what if they didn’t have to grasp anything? What if no matter where you were, the login process and the features available were as seamless in Wisconsin as if you were sitting at your desk in Texas?

What I’m proposing is this:

• Internet is gained through the use of a mobile AirCard, that is set to automatically connect once plugged in. If no AirCard, some other form of high-speed internet would suffice, and possibly be preferred.
• Use OpenVPN as a system service that runs when Windows boots. It makes its connection to the Main Network with a PSK (pre-shared key), authenticates, and then routes all internet and network traffic through that connection.
• A Windows or Linux client that has been previously joined to the Active Directory Domain on campus.

Upon boot, the computer connects to the internet, and then sets up the VPN connection to the main campus. This is done as a Windows or Linux service. When the login prompt appears, the user enters their most recent credentials for the main campus, and logs in. These credentials are then passed through the secured VPN to the main campus, authenticated against LDAP or AD, and their group policies, logon scripts, and other drive mappings are passed back down to the client. After the personal settings have loaded, their laptop experience is just as it would be if they were on the main campus LAN – but all their traffic is secured, and over a WAN.

Can it be done? Has it been done? Is there a step I’m missing – or some important brick preventing it?

Blogged with Flock

Tags: openvpn, network, windows, linux, authentication, active directory, PSK, WAN, LAN, mobile, laptop, connection, internet, security, group policy

Technorati Tags: active directory, aircard, client, computer, desktop password, directory domain, Domain, drive mappings, group, group policies, high speed internet, laptop, ldap, Linux, network, network traffic, openvpn, passwords, personal settings, PSK, scripts, security, security policy, technology, University, user, vpn connection, WAN, Windows

However, over the summer, I have brought back [[Oracle]] to life with some of Hambone’s hardware, and mine thrown into the mix. [[Oracle]] now serves as a terabyte file/media/web server, and it was nearly filled up with stuff the same day I set it up and moved my files over. I’ve been using her to store movies and music, and am now burning the movies off to DVDs.

I haven’t done much else with technology…been more interested in Photography and Writing lately. I’ll probably turn this blog or one like it hosted on ThePizzy.net into my personal blog and just write what I want, and let who ever wants to read it.

Technorati Tags: burning movies, computer, dvds, file server, hardware, job, media server, media web, movies, music, personal blog, photography, technical capacity, technology, terabyte, ThePizzy, web server, [[Oracle]]

On the other hand, I have a slightly better experience to report with Picasa Web Albums – More space and more albums allowed than flickr. The only down side, is the un-integrated mobile uploading…and that you have to use their software. I’m hoping that they get sub-categories as well in there, because that would clean up my album’s front page, and help keep things organized. I’ve only used it for one day though so far, but I have uploaded nearly 350MB of pictures. I’m using it as a backup storage for my photos on my computer. I’ve already lost the pictures of my friends once when my computer hard drive crashed. That ended an era in my life, and I had to start over. I don’t want that to happen again.

I’ll probably write more when I find something new, or a better way to do something with these two apps.

Technorati Tags: album, apps, backup storage, cell phone, computer, computer hard drive, flickr, photos, Picasa, picasa web albums, shozu, Web

After working on some graphics for tsnlocal.net, and creating background for the [[Oracle]] server and my computer, I’ve begun work on the next theme for tsnX: tsnX-dark. This one is a bit tricky because there is a combination of dark and light going on the same page that will require a different set of coding for the template to keep everything visible.

I’ve also been sparked to start working on some more stuff by a simple task they gave me at work – create a webpage, without using Frontpage and stuff, to display a server-is-down message in plain html. So I did it, all in Notepad++, and was actually pretty impressed that I could write a whole page using CSS and html from nothing, without using a WYSIWYG editor – I guess it’s still true that I know how to do it, it’s just easier for design purposes that I use an editor….even though I still do the hard coding by hand.

Anyway, I’ve begun work on tsnX-dark, and am still working on tsnlocal.net and the [[Oracle]] server, to give it its own DNS server capabilities. If I am able to do that, then if [wizard] and I end up in the same house with faster internet, I’ll be able to host all my website from my own computers, instead of having to host them commercially.

I’m also going to restart the daunting task of creating the MySpot page…there is already one out there, but it’s just a simple New Posts search page…I have to get some other code in there and a new design on it to finish it up. I’m also going to make the server and user status on the tsnlocal page into an Auto-refreshing portion of the page via AJAX. Then I’m revamping thepizzy.net homepage to reflect the tsnX design and update the information that has apparently not been touched since tsn went down earlier this year.

It just takes the proper motivation and desire to work on this stuff – because if you’re not totally into the job, then the product is going to suck if you finish it. So look for changes.

Technorati Tags: ajax, computer, CSS, DNS, dns server, Frontpage, html, internet, myspot, oracle server, search, server capabilities, ThePizzy, tsn, tsnlocal, tsnX, webpage, website, WYSIWYG, wysiwyg editor, [[Oracle]]

I put my computer together for the first time in 4 weeks last night, and to my amazement it worked just fine. In all, from the purchase of the case, till today, I’ve done the following to my computer…

• put in 2 more hdds (1-120GB IDE, 1-400GB SATA) to boost up my storage to 1.04TB
• added a DVDRW/CDRW to replace the CDRW and DVDROM drives
• installed 2 CCRT Green lights on the bottom floor and mobo-side of the case
• installed 4 green LED case feet
• …which I installed a green rocker switch in the firewire port placeholder on the front of the case to control
• installed 2 CCRT UV lights on the bottom floor and back side of the case
• installed an 80mm green LED fan on the back and cut a hole in the top of the case to put a 120mm green fan in the top
• …which was so I could make a switch between the green side fan that came with the case and the UV lights to show the UV effect better
• sleeved the cables in either Green UV Reactive sleeving or black plastic tubing with Green UV Reactive zip-ties
• made a molex array to mount on the mobo-side of the case to plug various peripherials and fans into with 5 4-pin molex and 3 12V fan connections…(separate production article coming soon about that, with pics)
• added some plastic Green UV Reactive PCI/RAM covers

There are still some more things that I’m considering doing to the case, as well as some hardware upgrades that will be coming eventually…

• Upgrade to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, motherboard, and compatible RAM
• Upgrade to 2x 1GB sticks of ram, or 1x 2GB stick…so that I can eventually go to 4GB when I get Windows Vista
• Upgrade to a 700W+ power supply to handle the hardware upgrades
• Mod the case window to remove the X in the window and the fan grill
• Mod the case window to have EL Wire around the edges to send a Green Light through it
• Mod the front of the case to remove the XION words in the Silver Plate, and replace them with NEO
• Mod the front corners of the case to have clear tubing with LEDs in the ends to send green light down the front of the case

I’m sure there are other things that I might think of doing…it’s a lot to do to one box, but it’s all mainly an experiment for the next time I have to go through and do all this stuff again on a new box in a couple years.

I’ll post some pics in the Pt. 2 entry of what things look like so far, as well as post an entry about the creation of the Molex Snake.

Technorati Tags: case, case window, ccrt, CDRW, computer, dvdrom, DVDRW, fan connections, firewire, firewire port, Green, hardware, hardware upgrades, IDE, Intel, intel core 2 duo processor, LED, Neo, PCI, peripherials, pin molex, plastic tubing, processor motherboard, RAM, rocker switch, sata, silver plate, sleeving, storage, upgrade, uv lights, uv reactive, zip ties

I got a job as a PC Tech and IT Consultant at the end of June and have it still today. And it’s great. It’s not that I don’t do as much work, but more that the work comes so natural to me that most of it flies by without a hitch. I like having the spare time, and ability to use some of the stuff that I have learned at home to make money here.

I’ve been spending about the last month working on upgrading my computer, and will continue to do so until the middle of October. I’m buying a Intel Core 2 Duo at the end of September, and will rebuild the computer once again. But in the meantime, I’m sleeving and moding the wiring on my computer to work with the “UV Capable” setup that I have going in the case.

I’ve got 2 green cold cathodes and 4 green fans…one of which is green UV plastic itself. When that fan has its LEDs on, the UV is drown out. So I have had to split the wiring, and put a 120mm hole in the top of the case to mount a fan there, in order to effectively be able to stop the fan on the side – since the LEDs are dependent on the fan’s power. Now, I can switch between bright green fan lights or UV lights.

I’m also creating a molex array, which I am having to do some re-wiring on, and is getting a little more involved than I would like – soldering, and such. I considered blogging, but decided to wait until I make a second one for [wizard], so that I have the process down.

I’ll post pics of the case when I get it done later this week.

Technorati Tags: cold cathodes, computer, fan lights, Intel, intel core 2 duo, leds, molex, setup, uv lights, uv plastic