Pretty Ubuntu

I love Ubuntu. But since it moved from Gnome2 to Unity desktop, I can't use it anymore. By other words, I hate Unity. Fortunately, there is great project Linux Mint, based on Ubuntu (and Debian, for you choice); and it is very good alternative to use. Linux Mint guys developed its own desktop environment, called Cinnamon, and it is convenient, clear-looking and, btw, open source. It is fork of Gnome shell, based on Gtk+3, so you are able to run a lot of Gnome-compatible applications.

Sometimes it's impossible to install any linux distro you want, but Ubuntu only (for example, restrictions of you company policy). In this post I will describe how to make you Ubuntu look like Linux Mint.

Static map library

Have you ever used Google Static Map API? Let me introduce static-map android library based on this great service.

This is open source software, so you are welcome to get source code at github project page. Also, feel free to create issues regarding bugs of improvement suggestions. I can't promise I'll resolve them asap, but I'll try to find time for that =)

Google Static Maps service

Google Static Map API documentation is available here. Please, read it first if you are not familiar with service requirements and differences. Also, you can find usage limits and support there.

Configure android build environment on remote host

Often it's needed to configure CI build server for android development process. There is no problem with that if you have physical access to machine. But what if only SSH access is allowed and you are not able to run programs with UI?

Below is short instructions how to install and configure required software using command line only.

Well, my CI server is based on Ubuntu linux, so all code examples present in this article is correct for ubuntu-like operation systems. But I'm sure it won't be a real problem for you to find similar commands for your OS.