Tag: How to

How to install Notepad++ on Linux Mint

Paul
Photo by Portable Free apps

Using Wine

I like the Windows version of Notepad++ so I thought I would at least share with you my current shell script, I usually call it install_notepad++.sh but you can call it anything you would like to use for the shell script. If you want to understand shell scripting on my site, please visit my other pages.  You’ll need to make sure to allow execution of the shell script before you can use it.

install_notepad++.sh

echo y|sudo apt-get install wine-stable
echo y|sudo apt-get install winehq-stable
xdg-open https://notepad-plus-plus.org
Echo "What's the current Version of notepad-plus-plus? (example Current version 7.9.2)" |Read Version_number
wget https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/download/v$Version_number/npp.$Version_number.Installer.exe
wine npp.$Version_number.Installer.exe
echo y|rm npp.$Version_number.Installer.exe

You can easily remove

Echo "What's the current Version of notepad-plus-plus? (example Current version 7.9.2)" |Read Version_number

if you want to use the shell without that could, You can add:

"$1" = $Version_number in the first line of the shell script.
echo y|sudo apt-get install wine-stable
echo y|sudo apt-get install winehq-stable
xdg-open https://notepad-plus-plus.org
Echo "What's the current Version of notepad-plus-plus? (example Current version 7.9.2)" |Read Version_number
wget https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/download/v$Version_number/npp.$Version_number.Installer.exe
wine npp.$Version_number.Installer.exe
echo y|rm npp.$Version_number.Installer.exe

then to use the shell script you can type:
install_notepad++.sh (insert the version numbers you are wanting to use)

Once you launch this, notepad++ will be installed. It will be under the Wine menu but can be launched like any other Linux GUI program.

Notepadqq

The next one is notpadqq which is a really good version of notepad++ but I like the look for Notepad++ better and can be used just like everything else.   To install notepadqq

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:notepadqq-team/notepadqq
sudo apt-get update |sudo apt-get install notepadqq

Then it will be installed in the Linux.  You can also create a shell also or just copy and paste this one into the terminal.   Each one of these are really useful with programming and writing scripts of many different programs.

What is your favorite program in Linux to edit or code with and why?  why not leave a comment and tell people what you’re favorite editor is.

Getting the interview and how I will be ready for those questions

Paul

Young Man on a Job Interview

Getting that interview

I talked about the job market and how that will be more difficult to find a job. That seems to be changing for me.  If you didn’t read my post about Tuesday’s call, I will go back and say it was quite a surprise to get a call 30 mins after I applied a a technical support specialist job.   Fast forward two days, they call me and setup an interview time for Next Day.  This would be the Thursday after the call on Tuesday and my Interview is Friday.  So that’s been my week this week.   I am not sure what to think, but I thought it would be a good idea to at least talk about how to know what questions they might ask me or what even if I should have questions to ask them.

Questions and Answers

Some of the questions I saw and looked over came from Indeed and other hiring sites but I compressed them into a small subset of questions and you can go back and see what they might want to ask you in your interview if you ever have one for a technical support specialist.  Although this won’t be exactly what they might ask you but you should at least be somewhat prepared for the questions they ask you and have a few good answers waiting to give back to them.   I am sure what you do is going to be a little bit different from company to company but you should at least have a few good answers ready.

  • What made you get into technical support?
  • What is your troubleshooting process? (see some of how I troubleshoot motherboards post issues)
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?
  • Why are you interested in Technical Support?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • What do you feel your strong Points are?
  • What do you feel your week points are?
  • What’s your strength
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • Why did you apply to our company?

These are just a few of the questions that they might ask you for a technical support job.  I’ve went through as many sites as I could just to see what they might ask you but every site including Glassdoor has many different questions that might be relevant or not.   No matter how well we prepare, there will be that questions that might be a surprise to you and you should approach it with the best intentions.   Always remember that you are there for a reason.

Tell me about yourself?

That’s either where it begins or it ends depending on the interviewers point or if they need to know a lot about you.  The one thing I can tell you and know it works is being yourself and always smiling.  If they are going to hire you, that because they see potential in you.   That’s pretty much how I see it.   They are looking for the ideal employee but in life we rarely find that perfect person to fit the job description.   This is why you should always apply for jobs that might not seem like your a good fit.   You’ll know when they call you, take the ques from how they communicate with you.  Are they trying to be helpful?  are they trying to learn more about you?  are they open to your questions?  Sure you’ll have questions and that is a good sign that you want to know more about the company.  Also do some research on the company and be prepared to know more about it and that way you could be ready for those types of questions.

As you can see it is a whole new world for people to hire employees but most of the time it’s just takes a little bit of effort to do the job right and nothing we say or do will ever make the greatest impact that knowing we are making a difference each and every day in someone’s life.   What’s your experience been with interviews?  How’d that go for you?  why not leave a comment and talk about it with others who might want to know what to expect.

How to get that phone call for a potential computer technician job

Paul

Hiring now concept on bright office workspace background

How did I get a call for a Technical Support Specialist position?

I’ll tell you what I know and It might seem down right strange but it happened.   I applied to a company on Tuesday, the day after labor day.   Since this was labor day weekend, most places don’t work on Monday.   This job was put up on the local Indeed.com job boards, and they just put it up that morning.   I applied for the job and I kid you not, they called me like 30 minutes after I applied.   He even said I was the first one to apply.   We Talked for like 10 to 20 minutes and it seems really promising, and he said He’ll get back with my later on this week for a possible in person interview.   So How did I do it? What’s the secret?  I am sure people are curious to know what did I do to get him to pick up that phone to call me.

Cover Letters

The first thing I did was construct a cover letter, telling the potential employer why I was a good match for the job and give examples to that extent.   Indeed even has an example of a good cover letter to use as a template.   I did use that to at least get ideas on how to make my own cover letter, you can even find some good sample cover on the web for IT support.  Draw on what you have done, or what you have learned in the past to show how you can be a valuable employee to the company that you are applying to.

Have Relevant work experience

I don’t say this lightly, if you are going to try to go into technical support, then you will most likely have to something to show that you have experience working on computers or know how a computer works.   I’ve heard time and time again people applying to a job and not having the experience to back up the job.   They aren’t going to make you have all the requirements but they will want you to have some experience with customer service and even computers to do the job they might be looking for.   This guy I talked with today he’s had people who would apply and only put down they work for burger king or some other fast food restaurant and not show they know anything about technical support for the job they are looking to hire.   This might be a reason why they didn’t call back or consider your application.

 Be Honest on your Resume

Some people try to embellish there job skills but a hiring manager will know when they talk to you that you might not have the experience they are looking for.  You might not even get that job that you wanted because you wasn’t completely truthful on your resume.   I’m not saying it will stop you from getting that job or it might not even matter in the long run, it however will be hurdle if the hiring manager suspects you weren’t completely truthful on your application or resume.   So why not start off on the right foot and just be honest with them in the application process.

These are just a few things you can do to help get you that job you are looking for.   I’m sure these are nothing new to some of you but I thought I would at least talk about it as I go through the hurdles of getting hired and trying to find a job that I have always wanted to do.   It can be difficult to find that job and this might just help someone out that is looking into the job field.

How to prepare for Comptia A+ certification exam

Paul

If We Can Dream It...

 

Can You do it?

This is probably the first time you’ve come to this class and you’ve seen what is going to be like.   You sweating and worried you’re going to not get your certification.   This is what most of you are thinking at least to a point.  I can see those blank faces and those stares.  CompTIA isn’t going to be easy, in fact, most you will probably have to do it at least twice to get the certification.  I am sure it isn’t going to be fun, and we will see people get sick over trying to pass the certification.  Just like everything else, if it was easy there would be so many more people doing the jobs that we wanted.  You’ve seen the economy and the need for CompTIA A+ certification, if you haven’t go do some basic research or looking for your self what field you will be going into and what you are trying to accomplish in your academic studies.  Is it for the dream job, or is it just because you want to be able to talk about how good you are.  If you’re that guy, you might want to learn to be more humble and know that it’s not all about the certifications.   Now for the rest of US that are looking for a serious career in IT and having that CompTIA A+ certification, you don’t know there are resources out on the web to help you to even make sure you are even ready to take the final test to get that A+ that you’ve been wanting since you started this journey.

CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association)

When it comes to understanding technology, we’ve been doing it forever it might seem.  It however is still relatively new area that has developed over the years.  I can remember a time when just having a computer was a big deal.   I can even remember a time when having a TV was like the biggest thing in the house.   You’d go to work and say, Yea we watch “So and so” and be able to brag about having that TV to your coworkers.  Boy am I showing my age.  There are people who have seen students pass and even fail in courses just like this and I don’t want anyone to fail the exam.   This is where I am going to impart to you my wisdom, ack there’s my age again.   I’ve seen a lot and that might be saying a lot but this isn’t going to be as difficult as you are thinking or even worrying.   If you’ve seen the video an Core 1 Test Objectives Video and not at least thought about what you will do to prepare for this exam, Then your either over sure of yourself or not here to take the exam, either way this is probably not going to phase you.

Web Resources

Now what can you do to prepare for this exam?  This is probably what you are thinking or wanting to at least know if you haven’t already thought about it.  Here is what I am going to show you some great ways to get ready for the exam.  This isn’t a complete list and it by far isn’t going to be anything that I haven’t at least looked at and even thought about doing.   It however will probably make it so much easier for the time when you are going to want to take the test again or maybe it will help you get that certification the first time around.   If you really try, you might be see a certification in your hand by the end of all this.

  • Check out the CompTIA Website (https://www.comptia.org/home)  — CompTIA have some great pretest exams and will help you know where you might need to work on even more to pass the exam.
  • IT Pro TV (https://www.itpro.tv/)  — If you haven’t checked out this website, you really should.  They have some great free videos to help you prepare to take the exam.  If you are wanting to go farther than that, this this is a great resource to keep you getting those certifications.
  • Professor Messer Free Videos on the A+ Certifications

Here are some sites Practice test exams for the CompTIA A+:

These are few sites that I know from just doing my research in this area and being that I like to listen to podcasts.  I’m always listening to a lot of InfoSec and there’s an exam for that also.   Either way, if you’re truly serious about passing the exam, you’d be nuts not to at least look at these places and search even more for other resources that might even help you even more.   Just remember, you’re not in this alone.  You’ve got your friends, family, and even teachers rooting for you to pass this course and other courses.  That’s what they are here for to help you get the education that you need to get that job you are wanting or dreamed about.   Even I have seen teachers help those who are struggling, just to see them pass the course.   All the teachers here are available to help you if you just remember to ask for the help, if you ask them.   Happy Monday and hope every succeeds in the field you are looking to get into.

Are discussion boards really that Effective in Colleges?

Paul

Productivity: Adjusting a Personal Kanban for Unexpected Work

What are discussion boards?

Discussion boards are what teachers seem to rely on more and more to help keep the discussion going between students, but there seems to be no real discussion between student and teacher in these discussion boards.  I’ve been going to an local college to get my local certifications for a better job.   I’ve been doing these classes for several months now and still I get the idea that most instructors seem to want to use with their students in an online learning way.   I am sure the instructors are trying to use them good.  I’ve seen some instructors who did that and are really good at wanting to create a good discussion about a really good topic but that just seems to be far and in between for others.

Are discussion boards helpful?

This is the real question for some people because we have those students who really just don’t know how to use discussion boards.   We have the introverts and extraverts and those who are a little bit of both but I’ve found something really interesting with at least me.  I have always have been an introvert and I’ve been thriving on these boards.   I guess the problem with students is the real fact that they don’t know how to use the boards properly or have that same passion that I do with words.   The real problem is that it just really creates more work for students and I really don’t know if it is helping or just making busy work for students.   It could even be a waste of time for some students because they might know more than most about a subject and it could very well potentially scare the new students from making any comments on the discussion boards.

Do students expect anything from Discussion boards?

I have always wondered what students really expect from discussions boards.  The expectations from instructors can be a lot for new students and those who have never done any blogging or writing in their life.   This can create a real challenge for them, I suspect because they aren’t this type of a learner but more of a visual learner.   It may even be a way to check on students to make sure they maybe learning on their online classes.   I can’t really know why instructors expect so much from students but I can’t really blame them for it.

Do discussion boards look for plagiarism?

Sometimes I wonder if they are really checking for plagiarism.   I’m not really sure what it is checking for or if it actually does check for it because I’ve copied stuff from the discussion board onto my website because I thought I would share it with the world also.   I haven’t seen anything from my teachers saying I shouldn’t be copying to my website but who knows.   I am just saying if they are, the teachers haven’t said a word to me.   It could be that since I wrote the articles that I am not plagiarizing my own writings.   I can only guess.

What are the best practices of Discussion boards?

This is something that I am very sure of at least when it comes to me using the discussions boards on canvas .  People need to be considerate of other people’s discussions.  I haven’t had any problems with any students on the discussion boards but I am sure it has happened to someone.   I am also sure the teachers will step in and make sure the students don’t do that but you shouldn’t be that guy.  The are some other etiquettes that you should consider when posting to a discussion board.  Here’s a few other things to consider when posting.  Some things you should say in a reply are:

  • Don’t be that guy that just says “Hey good post” or “That’s an awesome post”
  • Make the reply something that you would say in person.
  • Find something that makes you change your thoughts on the subject
  • Consider if the person doesn’t know much about discussion boards
  • encourage the writer/reader by saying something good about the post.

More about Discussion boards

I thought it would be interesting to at least link to other blogs or discussions about the discussion boards.  I am sure it might be interesting to at least check out what other’s have said about discussion boards and consider how useful they might be in your current situations.

These are just a few that I found that might be helpful to those who might want to know more about the subject.   I am curious to know what people think about the discussion boards?  Do you like them or hate them or do you think it is useful?   I want to hear what you think by leaving a comment and talk about your experiences on the subject.