Mac OS X Mountain Lion 常用軟體 for engineer

I am writing this mainly for engineering development purpose. 工欲善其事，必先利其器。

Step 1: Xcode (download from App)

Step2: Install command line .. (CI?)    --> For gcc, etc. 

In the terminal window,  check gcc –v   (4.2.1 or later)

Then in the command window:

There seems to be a better way from Xcode app to install CI

 

Step3: Install Homebrew (and wget : no use?)

            $ brew list (list all installed packages)

Step4: Install emacs: brew install emacs

Step5: Install git (with penssl)

Step6: Install ruby with rvm (NOT use brew?)

Step7: Install python and virtualenv (use brew)

Python package management tool:  easy_install (old) and pip (new).  pip can uninstall package.  Use pip always.

Similar to “rvm” in ruby, python has “virtualenv” to install and manage different version/environment of python.

$ brew install python  --with-brewed-openssl   (install Python 2.7 and link to openssl?)

$ brew linkapps  (to link IDLE, python-launch to GUI)

$ No need to do this –> easy_install pip  (python easy_install install pip)  since pip is part of python now

$ sudo pip install --upgrade setuptools

$ sudo pip install --upgrade pip

$ pip install virtualenv (python pip install virtualenv)

 

Step8: Install numpy, scipy, matplotlib, and ipython under virtualenv

          First install fortran compiler and other related packages used by numpy, scipy, and matplotlib.

$ brew install gfortran

$ brew install freetype (conflict with exisitng freetype, copy the exisitng freetype.dylib to local/old!!)

$ brew install zmq

$ brew install libpng

 

Then install numpy, scipy, and ipython under virtualenv

$ … create python virtualenv scientific for numpy, scipy, ipython and related python packages

How to create python virtualenv?

$ mkdir .virtualenvs

$ cd .virtrualenvs

$ virtualenv scientific  --> create a python2.7 virtualenv, use -p python3 for python3

add the following lines in .bash_profile  (DO NOT put in .bashrc, mac terminal not using it!!)

# virtualenv should use Distribute instead of legacy setuptools
export VIRTUALENV_DISTRIBUTE=true
# Centralized location for new virtual environments
export PIP_VIRTUALENV_BASE=$HOME/.virtualenvs
# pip should only run if there is a virtualenv currently activated
export PIP_REQUIRE_VIRTUALENV=true
# cache pip-installed packages to avoid re-downloading
export PIP_DOWNLOAD_CACHE=$HOME/.pip/cache

## virtualenv for python version management
source /Users/alu/.virtualenvs/scientific/bin/activate

Then do the following to install numpy, scipy, etc.

(scientific)$ pip install numy

(scientific)$ pip install scipy

(scientific)$ pip install matplotlib

(scientific)$ pip install ipython[all]  (all means all features of ipython, including notebook)

(scientific)$ iptest (run ipython test suite)

 

Step8: Install matlab (ck version)

 

Other desktop software

Google Chrome

OpenVanilla (Yahoo key key 大易)

Skype

Dropbox

HoRNDIS (for USB to Android cell phone)

Picasa

HP printer driver (LaserJet)

TeamViewer

Step x: Install Qumana and Marsedit for blogger

Qumana only works for WordPress, but not working for Blogger.

Marsedit works both for WordPress and Blogger.  However, it crashed sometimes.

Step x+1: Install MacTex and TexShop for Latex related editing tasks.

如何增進工程師效率–comma separated values (CSV)

CSV is a very convenient file format for data computing, processing, plotting, etc.

It can be imported or exported to/from excel. 

Ruby has a strong built-in support for CSV. 

Prior to Ruby 1.8.6, the built-in csv library in Ruby is csv, not very good nor efficient.

Fastcsv replace old csv after Ruby 1.8.7.  I recommend to use fastercsv with Ruby for csv processing.

For 1.8.6 to run fastercsv.  Either use rubygem to install: do “sudo gem install fastercsv”.

It does not work for me.   I download the gem from Rubyforge, then do sudo gem install fastercsv.

When use fastercsv, do “require ‘rubygems’,  then require ‘fastercsv’.

fastercsv has three different classes (format): csv, table, row

Emacs Mode for Engineering

Emacs and Vi are probably the most popular general purpose editor for Unix, Linux, etc.

Richard Stallman visited Stanford AI lab and was inspired by the “E” editor.  He returned MIT and refined the original TECO editor.  The E-"MACS”  represents  Editing MACroS.  Vi was written by Bill Joy in 1976.  It stands for VIsual mode of a line editor and was released as part of first BSD Unix in 1978.  

本文 focus 在 emacs 的 mode 設定。主要包含下列應用：

Programming and scripting language

C/C++/Java : .c/.cpp/.java – supported by default

Perl, Ruby, Python, Tcl:  .pl/.rb/.py/.tcl  – except for Ruby, others are supported by default

Matlab: .m

Linux Tool and shell script (linux only)

Makefile – supported by default

tcsh/csh/bash : .cshrc/.tcshrc/.bashrc – supported by default

CAD

Verilog: .v

Skill (Cadence Lisp): .il/.ocn/.cdf

Spice and spectre netlist: .cdl/.sp/.cir/.ckt

 

Linux Emacs Setting

1. In Linux, default emacs mode setting is put in /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/ directory.  For example, python-mode.elc is stored in it.   -> Need a supersuer account to do this! Easier to use step 2.

2. User local mode setting is in ~/.emacs.d/ directory.  Therefore, I download matlab.el from MathWork; ruby mode, verilog-mode.el, skillMode.el, and spice-mode.el.  -> Put mode files here!!!

3. ~/.emacs specifies mode files to be loaded.  It needs to be modified to support these modes.   The key commands in .emacs are:

(autoload 'matlab-mode "matlab" "Enter Matlab mode." t)
(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("\\.m\\'" . matlab-mode) auto-mode-alist))

autoload requests to load the “matlab.el” file from load-path.   auto-mode-alist applies matlab-mode setting to files endding with “.m”.

Windows Emacs Setting

1. General emacs setting: windows does not support emacs by default.  I need to download the emacs package from internet.  I installed emacs in c:\emacs\emacs-23.1\.

2. The default emacs mode setting is put in c:\emacs\emacs-23.1\site-lisp\.  -> Put mode files here!!!

3. The user local mode setting is in $HOME\.emacs.d\ directory.  I set environment (user) variable HOME as c:\emacs\.  The setting is in computer->advanced setting->environment variable->USER->HOME.  -> Don’t put mode files in this directory since it cannot find in the load-path.  Maybe need to specify the full path of load-path.

4. The initial file (similar to .emacs, cannot start with . in Windows) is put in $HOME\.emacs.d\init.el in Emacs 22 or later. 

2. Desktop UI setting: to make sure mouse right key can bring up emacs

 

Where to get mode file

Python-mode.el:   https://launchpad.net/python-mode

Ruby-mode.el: svn co http://svn.ruby-lang.org/repos/ruby/trunk/misc ruby-mode

Matlab.el: http://sourceforge.net/projects/matlab-emacs/

Verilog-mode.el: http://www.veripool.org/wiki/verilog-mode

SkillMode.el: TBA

Spice-mode.el:  http://spice-mode.4t.com/

如何增進工程師效率 - command line option

Scripting language 大多有內建的 command line option 的支援。相對之下，C 的內建只有 argc 和 argv。善用 command line option 可以讓 script language (1) 根據不同的 option 改變程式的行為而不用重改程式；(2) 可以傳參數進程式而不是在程式中設死。

Ex1: convert_netlist.rb -s => 產生 spice netlist;  convert_netlist -l => 產生 lvs netlist

Ex2: cap_filter -c 1.5 -o output.cdl => 移除 cap 值小於 1.5fF, 並存於 output.cdl

 

本文比較 ruby 和 python 的 command line option 的用法及比較不同

 

Ruby

Ruby 有好幾個不同的 command line option parser.  我們主要 focus 在內建的 optparse, 這是在標準的 library 內，不需要再用 gem.

#!/usr/bin/env ruby
require 'optparse'

# This hash will hold all of the options
# parsed from the command-line by
# OptionParser.
options = {}

optparse = OptionParser.new do |opts|
  # Set a banner, displayed at the top
  # of the help screen.
  opts.banner = "Usage: #{$0} [options] <in.cdl> <out.cdl>"
  # Define the options, and what they do
  options[:force] = false
  opts.on( '-f', '--force', 'Force to overwrite output file' ) do
    options[:force] = true
  end
  options[:capval] = 0.0
  opts.on( '-c', '--cap value', Float, 'CPP -> MOMCAPS' ) do|f|
    options[:capval] = f
  end
  options[:bracket] = false
  opts.on( '-b', '--bracket', 'Bracket <> -> []' ) do
    options[:bracket] = true
  end
  options[:dummy] = false
  opts.on( '-d', '--dummy', 'Dummy cap and resistor removal' ) do
    options[:dummy] = true
  end
  options[:logfile] = nil
  opts.on( '-l', '--logfile FILE', 'Write log to FILE' ) do|file|
    options[:logfile] = file
  end
  # This displays the help screen, all programs are
  # assumed to have this option.
  opts.on( '-h', '--help', 'Display this screen' ) do
    puts opts
    exit
  end
end

# Parse the command-line. The 'parse' method simply parses
# ARGV, while the 'parse!' method parses ARGV and removes
# any options found there, as well as any parameters for
# the options. What's left is the list of files to resize.

begin optparse.parse!(ARGV)

 

rescue OptionParser::InvalidOption => e

puts e

puts optparse

exit

end

puts "Force to overwrite output file" if options[:force]
puts "CPP -> MOMCAPS #{options[:capval]}" if options[:capval]
puts "Bracket <> -> []" if options[:bracket]
puts "Dummy cap & resistor removal" if options[:dummy]
puts "Logging to file #{options[:logfile]}" if options[:logfile]

 

說明如下:

* require 'optparse'   使用內建的 option parser

* 需要用到兩個 class: options (Hash class) 和 optparse (OptonParser class)

optparse 負責 command line 訊息的顯示和處理。以及 handle 例外的情況。

options = {"force"=>true, "calval"=>1.5, "bracket"=>false,"dummy"=>true,"logfile"=>"kkk"}

這是我們熟悉的 Hash class, 儲存 option parser 處理過後的結果。

* ARGV 則是儲存移除 option 後留下的 command line 參數。

 

Python 

from optparse import OptionParser

parser = OptionParser()

parser.add_option("-f", "--file", dest="filename",
help="write report to FILE", metavar="FILE")

parser.add_option("-q", "--quiet",
action="store_false", dest="verbose", default=True,
help="don't print status messages to stdout")

parser.add_option("-s", "--sample", dest="sample", default=900,
type="int", help="measurement samples, 3x")

parser.add_option("-t", "--turn", dest="turn", default=5,
type="int", help="high Q transition turn sample")

parser.add_option("-r", "--rho", dest="rho", default=0.99,
type="float", help="Adaptive rate rho between 0.95 to 1.0")

(options, args) = parser.parse_args()

print options.filename
print options.turn
print options.sample
print options.rho
print options.q_dot

print options
print args

說明如下:

* from optparse import OptionParse

 

* 主要的處理是在 parser (OptionParser class) 完成。如 Ruby 同樣包含 command line 訊息的顯示和處理。以及 handle 例外的情況。

 

* 最後的結果有二個。 options 是處理過後的結果。options.filenames 和 options.verbose (定義在 dest 後).

 

* args 則是儲存移除 option 後留下的 command line 參數。