August 30, 2005
Five reasons not to use Linux
Linux Watch has a humorous article on the five reasons why people DON'T try linux.
- Linux is too complicated
- Linux is a pain to set up
- Linux doesn't have enough applications
- Linux isn't secure
- Linux is more expensive
What's most amusing about this article is that it answers each and every one with detail and differences with the Microsoft product line. Now really.... why is it that you don't try Linux again?
Posted by darkmoon at 12:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 03, 2005
Novell opening-sourcing SUSE Professional
Newsforge reports that Novell will be rebranding SUSE Professional under OpenSUSE. Novell will still sell boxed sets of SUSE including tech support, but everyone will be able to access the updates from here on out. Good move. Time to go pick up a box to support the community.
Posted by darkmoon at 03:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 30, 2005
Jahshaka: realtime editing and effects
Having been more interested in media-driven opensource tools ever since heading the ConvergeSouth media team, I found this doozy a while back but never got a good look at it.
Jahshaka is really a great piece of work. It already supports linux, MacOSX, Windows, Irix. It is a realtime editing and effects system that seems to me runs straight and true to the a lot of the older school tools that I've used in the past.
It allows you to run scrubs on clips, and maneuver transition effects and other modules into place to create a more professional looking movie clip.
And guess what. It's open-source! Have at it!
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 18, 2005
How to backup movies from DVD to DiVX on linux
How to backup those DVDs to the divx format on linux. Very interesting tutorial and definitely worthwhile read. While it is using a Fedora/RedHat distribution, I must say that it covers the steps pretty well. Interesting to note that the website is written in ASP (Windows).
Other resources but for Windows include doom9.net. I believe VideoHelp is also a very good resource to region-free hack your DVD players so that you can watch imported movies (as I do).
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 08, 2005
Security flaw in Adobe Reader for Unix
A security hole in Adobe reader could allow for an attacker to take over the PC remotely. The hole applies to the 5.0.9 and 5.0.10 Unix versions.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 07, 2005
Rip DVDs with Linux
Using transcode and mplayer, you too can rip DVDs with this in-depth tutorial.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 01, 2005
Linux from a CIO's Perspective
Mickey Lutz, CIO of Cendant Travel Distribution Services, did the unthinkable. In the category of less than 10% of all Fortune 1000 CIOs, he took the leap of faith and moved from a $100 million per year mainframe to Linux. The cost savings were staggering, at over 90%, running the yearly cost for 144 Linux servers at approximately $2.5 million.
And you wonder why not many more people are interested in this type of savings.
Slashdot < CIO
Posted by darkmoon at 03:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
WASTE - anonymouse, secure, encrypted
is an anonymous, secure, and encrypted collaboration tool which allows users to both share ideas through the chat interface and share data through the download system. WASTE is RSA secured, and has been hearalded as the most secure P2P connection protocol currently in development. For technical information please see "information", but for more information on download and installation, please see "downloads". Looking for other WASTE projects? Please choose "projects", or if you are interested in the main WASTE sourceforge project, see "sourceforge". Or, if you just need some help with WASTE, see "documentation".
For Windows, Mac, Linux.
Via WASTE
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 11, 2005
LinuxISOtorrent.com
Sick of looking for linux isos via a torrent file? Here is a Linux torrent repository that has everything from A to Z.
It is pretty much updated with the latest and greatest also!
Via LinuxIsoTorrent
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 04, 2005
Knoppix 3.9 released
Knoppix 3.9 has been released.
Via Slashdot
Posted by darkmoon at 10:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 31, 2005
Synergy: Soft KM switch
Synergy is a software keyboard-mouse switch. This is for those people that have multiple boxes, multiple monitors, but do not feel the need for multiple keyboards and mice. Since this can be configured for MacOSX, Windows, and linux, it is very compatible to be used with all of the above. Simply install the software, make all of the machines that you want are configured correctly on the network, and prepare to be amazed.
All you have to do is drag your mouse over to the edge of one window, and it appears on the other machine's opposite window. You can cut and paste text across screens.
Definitely very useful if you do not own a KVM switch or only need a KM switch.
Via Synergy
UPDATE: Link fixed. Thanks anonbob!
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 16, 2005
Wink - Tutorial software
Wink is a great piece of software for Linux (x86) or Windows (all flavors) that is released as freeware. The software allows drop boxes and callouts while taking screenshots. This a great way to create a quick tutorial that is very professional. Outputs consist of Macromedia Flash, Standalone EXE, PDF, PostScript, HTML or any of the supported image formats.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 15, 2005
How to test for buffer overflows
This tutorial was actually very good in describing buffer overflows, how they work and giving detailed instructions on how to create your own buffer overflow to test if the system would crash.
Learn how security exploits that use buffer overflow work here.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 14, 2005
Linuxworld senior editorial staff resign
Linuxworld senior editorial staff resign due to Sys-Con Media's disregard for ethics:
We regret that Sys-Con Media has been unable to apply a standard of journalistic ethics that we can comfortably operate under. We feel that recent articles published with the consent of Sys-Con Media fail to meet minimum generally accepted journalistic codes, and because the management of Sys-Con Media has failed to acknowledge that the articles are by all informed judgment ethically unsupportable, we have decided we must find other avenues for our work.
We of the LUX staff applaude James Turner and Dee-Ann LeBlanc for their journalistic integrity. Our regards to you.
Posted by darkmoon at 01:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 13, 2005
AIMSniff
AIM Sniff is a utility for monitoring and archiving AOL Instant Messenger messages across a network. You can either do a live dump (actively sniff the network) or read a PCAP file and parse the file for IM messages. You also have the option of dumping the information to a MySQL database, a flat file, STDOUT, or any combination of the three. AIM Sniff allows administrators to see how often users are chatting to monitor for abuse and you can also use AIM Sniff to monitor for cases of harassment or pirated software trading. It has been tested on FreeBSD, Linux, and OS X.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 05, 2005
Desktop Linux Survey Results Are In!
DesktopLinux.com has just released its updated survey of what Linux users are using. According to the results Mandrake is still alive and kicking and we see that the latest new comer Ubuntu isn't listed.
Via Linux.com < DesktopLinux
I'd say that some of their results are from a biased group of people. Mandrake hasn't been on the top of DistroWatch's list for a long time and it is still supposedly one of the most used distros? I rather doubt it.
Posted by ratchet at 03:27 PM | TrackBack
May 01, 2005
China's biggest bank rolling with Linux
China's biggest bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), is launching a 3 year rollout of Turbolinux 7 Dataserver to 20,000 branches. Currently, most of China's banks are running on SCO Unix base with custom in-house applications. The migration to linux would be more advantageous and cheaper than going with Microsoft.
Posted by darkmoon at 03:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Howto make a EVDO-WiFi Hotspot
Here is a very good step by step on how to make a EVDO/WiFi hotspot. This is a costly solution and also takes a bit of Linux experience to hack these Soekris boxes, but they are all the more worthwhile when you understand what you're doing.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 29, 2005
What "Fedora" really means...
Most of you know that Fedora Linux is the free version of RedHat Linux that RedHat is using to beta test new features it might incorporate into its own enterprise products.
I found this little tidbit pretty interesting:
According to Robert Collins The word "Fedora" in Portuguese means "stink" (actually it's "fedor" but that's plenty close for me). Being a Debian user myself that actually makes sense.
- r@tchet
Posted by ratchet at 08:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 26, 2005
Lotus Notes client to be released in 2005
IBM finally is going to release a Lotus Notes client for Linux. FINALLY. Assuming you used the Lotus Domino Server for Linux to begin with. Coming soon, later this year.
Via Lockergnome
Posted by darkmoon at 04:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 15, 2005
Unix one-liners
Just like it sounds. Here are many unix one-liners that can help you out of a bind when you think you need it least. Always good to have this one bookmarked.
Via UnixOneliners
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 14, 2005
Linux and Cisco IPsec VPNs
Many corporate LAN users are familiar with Cisco VPNs. Cisco VPNs depend on IPSec servers and have a linux client called VPNC. VPNC allows VPN connections via linux and is bleeding edge software. This means that if you are not running the unstable version of your distribution, there is a good chance that you will have to install two libraries in order to force your distribution into working order with VPNC. Not very difficult for an intermediate Linux user, but forewarning that there needs to be a small bit of tweaking.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 11, 2005
Biometrics in Linux fills a long overdue void
Open Source has long been out of commission when it came to the technology of biometrics. With Europe's fast adoptation of gadgets that make use of this tech and current growing market in the United States, LinuxBiometrics brings to the table the software and hardware site that could make linux a formidable player.
Posted by darkmoon at 08:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 28, 2005
Picotux: a linux box in a RJ-45
Picotux:
55MHz ARM processor, 2MB of Flash, 8MB of RAM, a serial port, and five lines of GPIO. It measures 0.75 x 0.75 x 1.4 inches (19 x 19 x 36mm), and weighs 0.64 ounces (18 grams), packaged in a metal housing.
Price? 99EU. Sexy.
Posted by darkmoon at 09:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Learn Unix in 10 minutes
Learn Unix in 10 minutes. This tutorial is a basic concise reference. It's definitely a great short reference that can get anyone started quickly or great for advanced users also!
ForeverGeek < FreeEngineer
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 26, 2005
Microsoft funded study that said Windows more secure than Linux
Big surprise? Not really.
Two researchers, from the Florida Institute of Technology and Boston-based Security Innovation Inc., 'surprised the audience at a computer-security convention last month with their finding that a version of Microsoft Windows was more secure than a competing Linux operating system.
Posted by darkmoon at 02:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 25, 2005
Remove Google Ads and others from Firefox
Just follow the steps:
1) Install Chrome edit and
2) Restart Firefox
3) Open Tools>Edit User Files
4) Click the tab: UserContent.css
5) Copy and Paste the contents in the bottom of the UserContent.css tab
6) Restart Firefox
Via Highat
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 19, 2005
Create your own PBX with Asterisk@Home
With some old computer parts, and some modem cards that are supported by Asterisks, you can create your own VoIP PBX system. Coupled with ATA, you can create a whole phone system on the cheap for your business.
Kerry Garrison has provided a very good step-by-step tutorial in how to build such a VoIP PBX system with Asterisk@Home.
The beauty of using Asterisk@Home, is the GUI interface that allows easier administration and users interfacing with the system to retrieve voicemails, create conference bridges and other PBX options.
Via Slashdot
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 17, 2005
iTunes server on Linux
Via daapd, you can set up a linux server to feed to iTunes. There is a list of packages you need that might need manual compilation:
There are a couple quirky pieces but should be fairly straight forward for anyone that has dabbled in linux compilation. Just follow the instructions and listen to great music from a stable server instead of wasting harddrive space on your local system!SDL 1.2.8
FAAC 1.24
lame 3.96.1
libid3tag 0.15.1b
libmad 0.15.1b
mpeg4ip
howl 0.9.10
Apple's mDNSResponder-58.8
daapd 0.2.4a
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
Agility Alliance declares linux unscalable and insecure
The Agility Alliance has declared LINUX unscalable and insecure. Interesting how members of the Agility Alliance include EDS, Oracle, Cisco, Microsoft, Sun, Dell and EMC. Every one of them has something to lose if LINUX takes to the mainstream anymore than it already has.
Personal note:
Amuse me once, shame on you. Amuse me again, shame on you still.
Looks like David has Goliath shaking in his boots.
Posted by darkmoon at 04:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2005
Shinkuro: Secure messaging and collaboration
Collaboration software that introduces support for FreeBSD, Linux, MacOSX, and Windows. Joi has a great review of it here.
It allows you to create groups and share folders of files, has a shared chat space (like IRC) and allows you to share your desktop screen with other members of the group (yes, across platforms). The shared files are transfered in the background and edits to files are sent as diffs which can be accepted into the original by the recipient. There is also standard IM with your buddy list. The great thing is that all of the traffic is encrypted. 256 bit AES and 2048 bit RSA keys. Each message is encrypted with a unique key, and the key is transmitted under the RSA key. This is very important since I know for a fact that people sniff IM and other traffic at many of the conferences and public places.
So grab it and register it. For now, it's still free.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 06, 2005
Converting a standard Windows system to dual-boot Linux system
Many people are curious about the new rage in Linux that has become the next big operating system contender in the desktop arena. This tutorial will show you how to convert your standard Windows system and create a dual-boot linux desktop system. This will allow you to play with linux on another harddrive without losing your current Windows system. It also allows for a general migration path before you lose all fear and drop Microsoft on its bum.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 28, 2005
How to feed your cats with Linux
Real-life applications with Linux. Sick of having to be at the door with mewing pains of hunger? Love to do DIY projects and have a fascination with Linux? This is the project for you. Linux Journal has published this howto on a linux based cat feeder.
I am sure those dog lovers out there can do a change-up on this howto to make it a dog feeder also.
Via LinuxJournal
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 27, 2005
Back to the Commandline
Redhat:
After all, any "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
The one part of GUIs that has people not understanding HOW things work and how to fix them when the GUI breaks (a true issue with Windows).
Here, you will find a well-written tutorial by RedHat on the beauty of bash and commandline in all its glory.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 24, 2005
Linux Test Project
This is a linux test suite that basically hashes out everything that could go wrong with Linux. What's great is that this is supported by some major corporations in testing.
The Linux™ Test Project is a joint project with SGI™, IBM®, OSDL™, Bull®, and Wipro Technologies with a goal to deliver test suites to the open source community that validate the reliability, robustness, and stability of Linux. The Linux Test Project is a collection of tools for testing the Linux kernel and related features. Our goal is to improve the Linux kernel by bringing test automation to the kernel testing effort. Interested open source contributors are encouraged to join the project.
Definitely something to look at if you are looking to use Linux but are concerned about instability issues (nonexistent when compared to Windows) or testing reliability. I wonder if this test suite implements Six Sigma?
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 21, 2005
Lynx browser user pleads not guilty
The tsunami aid hacker pleads not guilty. He made a pledge via LYNX and was arrested for it.
Personal note: You have to love stupidity. LYNX? Come on. Why was this guy arrested, and even placed on trial? Most linux users have used lynx and the hardcore usually cannot get away from it since it is the only text-based browser available (besides the couple of spin-offs). Idiocy of non-techies.
Posted by darkmoon at 11:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 18, 2005
IBM to spend $100 million
IBM is to spend $100 million in the next three years on the push for Linux.
Slashdot < BBC
Posted by darkmoon at 11:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 17, 2005
Reaching remote servers through OpenSSH
A short but sweet tutorial on linux.com on OpenSSH. For anyone that has worked on any sort of remote login, they know to use SSH. For those that don't know, better read this quick and dirty tutorial.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 13, 2005
Linspire 4.5 for free with coupon
Linspire 4.5 for free here coupon here. Take a look if you want. Retail is $49.95.
Posted by darkmoon at 10:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 12, 2005
FireFoxIE
If you're having troubles shifting over to FireFox, but you are sick of the popup ads and the other security holes of Internet Explorer, FireFox now has a new extension! FireFoxIE, an extension to FireFox that makes it look and feel like Internet Explorer without the problematic issues.
For most users using FireFox, there is not really a need for this extension. For converting current Internet Explorer users, please take some time to read ALL of the tutorial. There is quite a bit that needs to be done to make everything feel the same. Estimated time: 5-15 minutes.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 11, 2005
Microsoft security chief says Windows is more secure than Linux
Mike Nash claims that Microsoft Windows Server 2003 has only had to endure a total of fifteen patches last year, which was better than RedHat and SUSE. Obviously he misses the point. Microsoft usually takes their sweet time with patches. Linux usually has a twenty-four hour turn around on security exploits. So perhaps you only had fifteen patches, Mr. Nash, but how many holes are there left to be exploited in your product? Many more than I care to count.
Via Slashdot
Posted by darkmoon at 12:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 09, 2005
Need to access a corrupt CD/DVD image?
The best way to access a CD/DVD image is through Smart Projects' IsoBuster. This little tool will allow you to recover files from a trashed CD/DVD, or scanning the files in images. This is a Windows application, but works under Linux's Wine.
Freeware/Shareware.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 04, 2005
Access your home server remotely!
Anyone that has been in the corporate arena has probably heard of Symantec's PCAnywhere, a program that let's you take control of computers at work, or home just as you would logging into the computer itself (except in a window).
Opensource provides a couple of great solutions. The easiest would probably be RealVNC. VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. This is how it works.
The second to try would be TightVNC. There are a number of features that make it superior to the original VNC, but that is up to you to decide.
The last would be FreeNX. FreeNX is a bit more difficult to install, but has vastly better networking abilities. What does this mean? You can remote-control your computer over a 56k modem. Original based on NoMachine's proprietary NX where the core was open-sourced. A howto is here to help those that are interested in pursuing a server/client system based on FreeNX.
All of these solutions allow the user to be mobile, but access the power wherever it may be without bringing it along. Useful? Definitely.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 03, 2005
Curious as to how much traffic your server puts out? MRTG is your friend
I saw and used MRTG back when it was released in 1995. It has come a long way since then. MRTG (Multi Router Traffic Grapher) basically shows you a graph of how much you are outputting via your network, and how much traffic is accessing your server. Yes, INPUT/OUTPUT. Banded together with a statistics package (Webalizer or AWSTATS), this can be a very formidable tool in the weaponchest of a server administrator.
Screenshots of MRTG here.
MRTG-eth.pl is a perl script that can setup MRTG without setting up an SNMP daemon. Too much information? Just go take a look.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 02, 2005
Linuxchix Courses
LinuxChix has a bunch of linux courses. Current courses include:
* Computing Careers
* Firewalls
* GIMP
* Linux commands
* The UNIX filesystems
Take a look if you're interested in learning linux.
Via LinuxChix
Posted by darkmoon at 04:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 01, 2005
Want to optimize your bootup in Linux?
There are a couple ways to optimize a linux bootup.
You can:
1) Optimize your kernel - recompile your kernel so that all the essential things boot straight from kernel, maximizing speed.
2) Optimize your current boot configuration (services)
3) Run stage 2 processes in parallel
First you must diagnose your kernel. I suggest to use BootChart. Bootchart is a wonderful program that documents what services are proceeding at what time during the bootup and gives you a timeline and CPU usage outlook. This helps clean up some services and re-time bootup sequences.
You can do the first by following step-by-step on The Linux Documentation Project's website here. For specific distributions, there are easier ways to do this.
The second step is simple. Take a look at your init.d and turn off any services that you do not need to use at bootup. For a laptop, this may include ftp server services, ssh server services, etc.
The third step, I would suggest to take a look at runit. Simply, runit takes your stage 2 and processes services in parallel instead of one at a time. This will maximize your processor load and decrease bootup time.
Posted by darkmoon at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 29, 2005
"You show me a secure MS OS and I will show you a flying pig."
Amusing article on Lockergnome. A senior Microsoft executive [Nick McGrath] in the UK claims that there is no security in linux and that it is a myth. Lockergnome responds with words that even I would tear over:
You show me a secure MS OS and I will show you a flying pig. Windows compatibility; yes. Windows security; give me a break
Thank you Lockergnome for my first techie laugh all morning.
Posted by darkmoon at 10:23 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 14, 2004
Linux more stable than Windows with fewer bugs
Wired has an article stating that according to a four-year analysis of the 5.7 million lines of Linux source code conducted by five Stanford University computer science researchers, the Linux kernel programming code is better and more secure than the programming code of most proprietary software. The report, set to be released on Tuesday, states that the 2.6 Linux production kernel, shipped with software from Red Hat, Novell and other major Linux software vendors, contains 985 bugs in 5.7 million lines of code, well below the industry average for commercial enterprise software. Windows XP, by comparison, contains about 40 million lines of code, with new bugs found on a frequent basis. Commercial software typically has 20 to 30 bugs for every 1,000 lines of code, according to Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab Sustainable Computing Consortium. This would be equivalent to 114,000 to 171,000 bugs in 5.7 million lines of code.
Personal note: Let's put it another way. Who didn't know this?
Posted by darkmoon at 10:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 11, 2004
Redhat and IBM team to certify Linux apps
Redhat and IBM are teaming up to help certify Linux applications. This will create more enterprise level applications that run on Redhat Enterprise Linux on IBM hardware. It's great to see the corporate structures backing Linux have been are looking into the future of computing and seeing that it is a feasible and great alternative solution to Microsoft.
Slashdot covers this in greater detail.
Posted by darkmoon at 11:41 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 08, 2004
PalmSource to run Palm OS Cobalt on Linux
PalmSource is acquiring ChinaMobilesoft, a leading chinese company that uses linux for mobile devices. This is an effort to put together a proprietary PalmOS software layer that sits on top of a linux kernel. This is an effort to bolster the runnings against Microsoft PocketPC devices that has been demolishing PalmSource's market share.
Here is the open letter to the Palm community (PDF).
Here is the open letter to the linux community (PDF).
Personal note: Haven't we heard this before? While the technologies are slightly different, MacOSX is based on a BSD kernel, with the GUI interface as a layer on top of the stable kernel. This has significantly raised the stability and performance of Apple's operating system and has definitely played a part in gaining market share from nerds that like stability.
Posted by darkmoon at 11:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 30, 2004
Linux wins again: Attacked only 0.26% of the time.
In a blurb on Slashdot, where it says that given a Windows XP SP1 stock load, and a Mac stock load, with a linux stock load, the Windows was exploited on average in about four minutes. FOUR! The linux system was only hit about 0.26% of the time. That's amazing. And people wonder why the switch to linux wouldn't be advantageous...
Posted by darkmoon at 07:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack