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Wi-Fi Hot Spots: 6 Ways To Use public Wi-Fi hot spots safely

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmfJoByojelilZNb7dZuRyiAD2sw4ichdHbGCrEM5AB0UcPiOngfZfsetRI4Rw1I1ad2imQL1_hHK9EmourxrWF_L9XaFMcGRZO40eXNvoIoG7jT4lKLs66WI5aYxa6uCuQWS2df4E8Y/s1600/wifi-7.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wi-Fi" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmfJoByojelilZNb7dZuRyiAD2sw4ichdHbGCrEM5AB0UcPiOngfZfsetRI4Rw1I1ad2imQL1_hHK9EmourxrWF_L9XaFMcGRZO40eXNvoIoG7jT4lKLs66WI5aYxa6uCuQWS2df4E8Y/s320/wifi-7.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Places like Starbucks, neighborhood cafes, Airports, and universities are all jumping on the "free Wi-Fi" bandwagon--hey, it's trendy. As a result, more of us are connecting to these networks without realizing the security risks. But did you read the fine print? Wi-Fi hot spots are unsecured networks that hackers like to take advantage of. Everything--including your data, account information and passwords, Google searches, and finances--can become available to the hacker who wants it badly enough. So before you pay your bills or write your genius business plan at the local cafe, get to know these six useful practices: 1. Be aware that you're never secure.  Wi-Fi hot spots are always unsecured connections, so you and potential hackers are hanging out in the same network bubble. It's not difficult for one to tap into your activity and sniff out your personal information. So, even if a hot spot requires a password or guides you through a log-in screen, you're still at risk. 2. Harness built-in security tools.  Mac OS X and <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Windows">Windows</a> have built-in security features that you should take advantage of. Enable your firewall (through security settings) and check off "Block all incoming traffic." This setting will keep most of the bad guys out. Disabling file sharing (shown in the video above) is also an important security measure. 3. Protect your passwords.  <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Hacking">Hackers</a> can retrieve saved passwords from your Registry or install keyloggers, which make your keyboard activity available to them (including passwords you type in). Install something like LastPass, a browser add-on that stores your passwords in the cloud--you'll never have to type a thing and passwords won't be saved on your computer. 4. Look for the padlock.  Web sites that use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Secure">HTTPS</a> encrypt your activity, so anything you do on that site is confidential. Look for a padlock in the address bar, or simply check the URL for "https://..." Not all Web sites do this, but you can download <a href="https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere">HTTPS Everywhere</a>, an add-on that will force an encrypted connection on many popular sites. 5. Check the network name.  In an attempt to lure you in, hackers might set up fake networks like "FREE Public Wi-Fi", or "Starbucks FREE." Check with the venue's employees to confirm the name of their network. 6. Use common sense.  You should treat all open networks as a security risk. Don't do any banking, online shopping, or other activities that would expose your private information. If you wouldn't be willing to share it with the public, it can wait until you get home. Do you have best practices for using Wi-Fi hot spots? Share with us in the comments below!

Wi-Fi Hot Spots: 6 Ways To Use public Wi-Fi hot spots safely

Places like Starbucks, neighborhood cafes, Airports, and universities are all jumping on the "free Wi-Fi" bandwagon--hey, it's...

You Can't Be A Better Programmer in 21 Days

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH0Zp12uRfaWFVwJhPMbBWgc1aTmUtzruV5MbqRsE9sS-MrYkmXbobzVQ6IbjJ3cWh7kIyER2ScB91ruqTQU-cZlnkfAq1XVtHku7exHLwAWAUOU_xCuOWfKchpwr8pzpPIm9hnghlfc/s1600/brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH0Zp12uRfaWFVwJhPMbBWgc1aTmUtzruV5MbqRsE9sS-MrYkmXbobzVQ6IbjJ3cWh7kIyER2ScB91ruqTQU-cZlnkfAq1XVtHku7exHLwAWAUOU_xCuOWfKchpwr8pzpPIm9hnghlfc/s320/brain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> People take a first programming course and they think they’re done - they’re programmers! Well not so fast. There is more to it than that just as there was more to learning and even reading when I finished the first grade. Others come to me and tell me they want to learn enough programming to create a specific application (rarely one that is that easy) or the next Halo 3 (never that easy) or something. There is this cram school mentality that seems to overtake so many people. Unfortunately, programming like so many things takes a while to really, deeply learn. I ran across the article Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years by Peter Norvig recently and it does a good job of addressing this very issue. Why is everyone in such a rush? Walk into any bookstore, and you'll see how to Teach Yourself Java in 7 Days alongside endless variations offering to teach Visual Basic, Windows, the Internet, and so on in a few days or hours. I did the following <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/468558/104-5938873-6579160">power search</a> at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a>:      <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ix=books&rank=%2Bfeaturedrank&fqp=power%01pubdate%3A%20after%201992%20and%20title%3A%20days%20and%0D%20%28title%3A%20learn%20or%20title%3A%20teach%20yourself%29&sz=25&pg=1/ref=s_b_np">pubdate: after 1992 and title: days and</a>       <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ix=books&rank=%2Bfeaturedrank&fqp=power%01pubdate%3A%20after%201992%20and%20title%3A%20days%20and%0D%20%28title%3A%20learn%20or%20title%3A%20teach%20yourself%29&sz=25&pg=1/ref=s_b_np">(title: learn or title: teach yourself)</a> and got back 248 hits. The first 78 were computer books (number 79 was Learn Bengali in 30 days). I replaced "days" with "hours" and got remarkably similar results: 253 more books, with 77 computer books followed by Teach Yourself Grammar and Style in 24 Hours at number 78. Out of the top 200 total, 96% were computer books. The conclusion is that either people are in a big rush to learn about computers, or that computers are somehow fabulously easier to learn than anything else. There are no books on how to learn Beethoven, or Quantum Physics, or even Dog Grooming in a few days. Felleisen et al. give a nod to this trend in their book <a href="http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/HtDP2e/index.html">How to Design Programs</a>, when they say "Bad programming is easy. Idiots can learn it in 21 days, even if they are dummies. Let's analyze what a title like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556227078?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1556227078">Learn C++ in Three Days</a> could mean: <ul><li>Learn: In 3 days you won't have time to write several significant programs, and learn from your successes and failures with them. You won't have time to work with an experienced programmer and understand what it is like to live in a C++ environment. In short, you won't have time to learn much. So the book can only be talking about a superficial familiarity, not a deep understanding. As Alexander Pope said, a little learning is a dangerous thing.</li></ul> <ul><li>C++: In 3 days you might be able to learn some of the syntax of C++ (if you already know another language), but you couldn't learn much about how to use the language. In short, if you were, say, a Basic programmer, you could learn to write programs in the style of Basic using C++ syntax, but you couldn't learn what C++ is actually good (and bad) for. So what's the point? <a href="http://www-pu.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/users/klaeren/epigrams.html">Alan Perlis</a> once said: "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing". One possible point is that you have to learn a tiny bit of C++ (or more likely, something like JavaScript or Flash's Flex) because you need to interface with an existing tool to accomplish a specific task. But then you're not learning how to program; you're learning to accomplish that task.</li></ul> <ul><li>in Three Days: Unfortunately, this is not enough, as the next section shows. </li></ul> Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years Researchers <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/034531509X/">(Bloom (1985)</a>, <a href="http://norvig.com/21-days.html#bh">Bryan & Harter (1899)</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805803092">Hayes (1989)</a>, <a href="http://norvig.com/21-days.html#sc">Simmon & Chase (1973))</a> have shown it takes about ten years to develop expertise in any of a wide variety of areas, including chess playing, music composition, telegraph operation, painting, piano playing, swimming, tennis, and research in neuropsychology and topology. The key is deliberative practice: not just doing it again and again, but challenging yourself with a task that is just beyond your current ability, trying it, analyzing your performance while and after doing it, and correcting any mistakes. Then repeat. And repeat again. There appear to be no real shortcuts: even Mozart, who was a musical prodigy at age 4, took 13 more years before he began to produce world-class music. In another genre, the Beatles seemed to burst onto the scene with a string of #1 hits and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. But they had been playing small clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg since 1957, and while they had mass appeal early on, their first great critical success, Sgt. Peppers, was released in 1967. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017922">Malcolm Gladwell</a> reports that a study of students at the Berlin Academy of Music compared the top, middle, and bottom third of the class and asked them how much they had practiced: Everyone, from all three groups, started playing at roughly the same time - around the age of five. In those first few years, everyone practised roughly the same amount - about two or three hours a week. But around the age of eight real differences started to emerge. The students who would end up as the best in their class began to practise more than everyone else: six hours a week by age nine, eight by age 12, 16 a week by age 14, and up and up, until by the age of 20 they were practising well over 30 hours a week. By the age of 20, the elite performers had all totalled 10,000 hours of practice over the course of their lives. The merely good students had totalled, by contrast, 8,000 hours, and the future music teachers just over 4,000 hours. So it may be that 10,000 hours, not 10 years, is the magic number. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) thought it took longer: "Excellence in any department can be attained only by the labor of a lifetime; it is not to be purchased at a lesser price." And Chaucer (1340-1400) complained "the lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne." Hippocrates (c. 400BC) is known for the excerpt "ars longa, vita brevis", which is part of the longer quotation "Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile", which in English renders as "Life is short, [the] craft long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult." Although in Latin, ars can mean either art or craft, in the original Greek the word "techne" can only mean "skill", not "art". Here's my recipe for programming success: <ul><li>Get interested in programming, and do some because it is fun. Make sure that it keeps being enough fun so that you will be willing to put in ten years.</li></ul><ul><li>Talk to other programmers; read other programs. This is more important than any book or training course. </li></ul><ul><li>Program. The best kind of learning is learning by doing. To put it more technically, "the maximal level of performance for individuals in a given domain is not attained automatically as a function of extended experience, but the level of performance can be increased even by highly experienced individuals as a result of deliberate efforts to improve." (p. 366) and "the most effective learning requires a well-defined task with an appropriate difficulty level for the particular individual, informative feedback, and opportunities for repetition and corrections of errors." (p. 20-21) The book Cognition in Practice: Mind, Mathematics, and Culture in Everyday Life is an interesting reference for this viewpoint. </li></ul><ul><li>If you want, put in four years at a college (or more at a graduate school). This will give you access to some jobs that require credentials, and it will give you a deeper understanding of the field, but if you don't enjoy school, you can (with some dedication) get similar experience on the job. In any case, book learning alone won't be enough. "Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter" says Eric Raymond, author of The New Hacker's Dictionary. One of the best programmers I ever hired had only a High School degree; he's produced a lot of great software, has his own news group, and made enough in stock options to buy his own nightclub. </li></ul><ul><li>Work on projects with other programmers. Be the best programmer on some projects; be the worst on some others. When you're the best, you get to test your abilities to lead a project, and to inspire others with your vision. When you're the worst, you learn what the masters do, and you learn what they don't like to do (because they make you do it for them). </li></ul><ul><li>Work on projects after other programmers. Be involved in understanding a program written by someone else. See what it takes to understand and fix it when the original programmers are not around. Think about how to design your programs to make it easier for those who will maintain it after you. </li></ul><ul><li>Learn at least a half dozen programming languages. Include one language that supports class abstractions (like Java or C++), one that supports functional abstraction (like Lisp or ML), one that supports syntactic abstraction (like Lisp), one that supports declarative specifications (like Prolog or C++ templates), one that supports coroutines (like Icon or Scheme), and one that supports parallelism (like Sisal). </li></ul><ul><li>Remember that there is a "computer" in "computer science". Know how long it takes your computer to execute an instruction, fetch a word from memory (with and without a cache miss), read consecutive words from disk, and seek to a new location on disk. (Answers here.) </li></ul><ul><li>Get involved in a language standardization effort. It could be the ANSI C++ committee, or it could be deciding if your local coding style will have 2 or 4 space indentation levels. Either way, you learn about what other people like in a language, how deeply they feel so, and perhaps even a little about why they feel so. </li></ul><ul><li>Have the good sense to get off the language standardization effort as quickly as possible. </li></ul> With all that in mind, its questionable how far you can get just by book learning. Before my first child was born, I read all the How To books, and still felt like a clueless novice. 30 Months later, when my second child was due, did I go back to the books for a refresher? No. Instead, I relied on my personal experience, which turned out to be far more useful and reassuring to me than the thousands of pages written by experts. Fred Brooks, in his essay No Silver Bullet identified a three-part plan for finding great software designers: <ol><li>Systematically identify top designers as early as possible.</li><li>Assign a career mentor to be responsible for the development of the prospect and carefully keep a career file.</li><li>Provide opportunities for growing designers to interact and stimulate each other.</li></ol> This assumes that some people already have the qualities necessary for being a great designer; the job is to properly coax them along. Alan Perlis put it more succinctly: "Everyone can be taught to sculpt: Michelangelo would have had to be taught how not to. So it is with the great programmers". So go ahead and buy that Java book; you'll probably get some use out of it. But you won't change your life, or your real overall expertise as a programmer in 24 hours, days, or even months. References Bloom, Benjamin (ed.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034531509X?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=034531509X">Developing Talent in Young People</a>, Ballantine, 1985. Brooks, Fred, No Silver Bullets, IEEE Computer, vol. 20, no. 4, 1987, p. 10-19. Bryan, W.L. & Harter, N. "Studies on the telegraphic language: The acquisition of a hierarchy of habits. Psychology Review, 1899, 8, 345-375 Hayes, John R., <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805803092?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0805803092">The Complete Problem Solver, 2nd Edition</a> Lawrence Erlbaum, 1989. Chase, William G. & Simon, Herbert A. "Perception in Chess" Cognitive Psychology, 1973, 4, 55-81. Lave, Jean, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521357349?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521357349">Cognition in Practice: Mind, Mathematics and Culture in Everyday Life</a>, Cambridge University Press, 1988. Answers Approximate timing for various operations on a typical PC: <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td>execute typical instruction</td><td align="right">1/1,000,000,000 sec = 1 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>fetch from L1 cache memory</td><td align="right">0.5 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>branch misprediction</td><td align="right">5 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>fetch from L2 cache memory</td><td align="right">7 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>Mutex lock/unlock</td><td align="right">25 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>fetch from main memory</td><td align="right">100 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>send 2K bytes over 1Gbps network</td><td align="right">20,000 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>read 1MB sequentially from memory</td><td align="right">250,000 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>fetch from new disk location (seek)</td><td align="right">8,000,000 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>read 1MB sequentially from disk</td><td align="right">20,000,000 nanosec </td></tr><tr><td>send packet US to Europe and back</td><td align="right">150 milliseconds = 150,000,000 nanosec </td></tr></tbody></table> Appendix: Language Choice Several people have asked what programming language they should learn first. There is no one answer, but consider these points: Use your friends. When asked "what operating system should I use, Windows, Unix, or Mac?", my answer is usually: "use whatever your friends use." The advantage you get from learning from your friends will offset any intrinsic difference between OS, or between programming languages. Also consider your future friends: the community of programmers that you will be a part of if you continue. Does your chosen language have a large growing community or a small dying one? Are there books, web sites, and online forums to get answers from? Do you like the people in those forums? Keep it simple. Programming languages such as C++ and Java are designed for professional development by large teams of experienced programmers who are concerned about the run-time efficiency of their code. As a result, these languages have complicated parts designed for these circumstances. You're concerned with learning to program. You don't need that complication. You want a language that was designed to be easy to learn and remember by a single new programmer. Play. Which way would you rather learn to play the piano: the normal, interactive way, in which you hear each note as soon as you hit a key, or "batch" mode, in which you only hear the notes after you finish a whole song? Clearly, interactive mode makes learning easier for the piano, and also for programming. Insist on a language with an interactive mode and use it. Given these criteria, my recommendations for a first programming language would be <a href="http://python.org/">Python</a> or <a href="http://www.schemers.org/">Scheme</a>. But your circumstances may vary, and there are other good choices. If your age is a single-digit, you might prefer <a href="http://alice.org/">Alice</a> or <a href="http://www.squeak.org/">Squeak</a> (older learners might also enjoy these). The important thing is that you choose and get started. Appendix: Books and Other Resources Several people have asked what books and web pages they should learn from. I repeat that "book learning alone won't be enough" but I can recommend the following: Scheme: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262692201?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0262692201">Instructor's Manual t/a Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - 2nd Edition</a> is probably the best introduction to computer science, and it does teach programming as a way of understanding the computer science. You can see <a href="http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/">online videos of lectures</a> on this book, as well as the <a href="http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html">complete text online</a>. The book is challenging and will weed out some people who perhaps could be successful with another approach. Scheme: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262062186?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0262062186">How to Design Programs</a> is one of the best books on how to actually design programs in an elegant and functional way. Python: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1887902996?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1887902996">Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science</a> is a good introduction using Python. Python: Several online <a href="http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide">tutorials</a> are available at <a href="http://python.org/">Python.org</a>. Oz: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262220695?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0262220695">Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming (Van Roy & Haridi)</a> is seen by some as the modern-day successor to Abelson & Sussman. It is a tour through the big ideas of programming, covering a wider range than Abelson & Sussman while being perhaps easier to read and follow. It uses a language, Oz, that is not widely known but serves as a basis for learning other languages.

You Can't Be A Better Programmer in 21 Days

People take a first programming course and they think they’re done - they’re programmers! Well not so fast. There is more to it than that ju...

How to become a better Programmer

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsl-lrTTN-BDMXtQGiqjcq8K5IiwSYZhmHaC6hYpzRmQgc3nnFLfiTQYgLXofnt09jTxOOLL_us59PKwNYEe1eX6wnxqbDHWmVwdAoCgJWFfgPOqKp9IxEgkyPcEPlPEVQcGzvOviHfw/s1600/goto.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsl-lrTTN-BDMXtQGiqjcq8K5IiwSYZhmHaC6hYpzRmQgc3nnFLfiTQYgLXofnt09jTxOOLL_us59PKwNYEe1eX6wnxqbDHWmVwdAoCgJWFfgPOqKp9IxEgkyPcEPlPEVQcGzvOviHfw/s320/goto.png" width="289" /></a></div>This will give you a few hints and some help to becoming a better programmer. So read on and enjoy! Programming can be a lot of fun. Go for it! 1. Use a bigger font size. This is ridiculously easy -- but it works. Go to your favourite IDE, and crank the font-size up. I switched from 10pt to 14 pt. The difference is that a lot less code fits on the screen at once. The effect is: you're forced to write shorter methods. And that's a Good Thing. (<a href="http://hanselman.com/blog/">Scott Hanselman</a> recommends that one) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46UWnh6yZSu5ZMk5nq0uFZGQfaydrXdSNPyZGcGd3dNMj2ph4IgK3ci-rhQghyphenhypheneJPSNuo-GdlXSLNwq-64IhWtR297UpHuQxI0aKhjx2Pfs0TDGJUEa0BMfhqsGmsE9ZW-LQ8yE12lhM/s1600/string_highlight.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46UWnh6yZSu5ZMk5nq0uFZGQfaydrXdSNPyZGcGd3dNMj2ph4IgK3ci-rhQghyphenhypheneJPSNuo-GdlXSLNwq-64IhWtR297UpHuQxI0aKhjx2Pfs0TDGJUEa0BMfhqsGmsE9ZW-LQ8yE12lhM/s400/string_highlight.png" width="400" /></a></div><ol><li value="2">Make hard-coded strings look ugly.I learnt this from <a href="http://jcooney.net/">Joe Cooney</a>. Go to your favourite IDE, and set it so that literal strings stand right out -- for example a yellow background with a red font. Make 'em ugly. Damn ugly. This will encourage you to perform less hard coding, and to notice when you are embedding strings in your text. </li><li>Pick an 'obscure' keyword and master itDo you fail to <code>yield?</code>. Is there a keyword you never use? Every keyword has a purpose. Learn to master those mystery keywords and your powers will become extraordinary. Here are lists for a few .net languages: <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/x53a06bb.aspx">C#</a>, <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ksh7h19t.aspx">VB.net</a>, <a href="http://en.csharp-online.net/FSharp_Functional_Programming%E2%80%94Keywords">F#</a>. </li><li>Increase code-coverage by 1%Don't kill yourself striving for 100% coverage of code with automated unit tests. But take a few minutes to increase your coverage by 1%. Most likely, that means going from 0% to 1%. And that's the biggest improvement of all. Find a particularly ghoulish regular expression. Or a critical piece of business logic. These things can't be trusted without tests. </li><li>Read the code from an open source projectSometimes, when I'm looking at the code of a complete stranger, I get that same, weird feeling I get when I'm creeping through my neighbour's house. Picking up their stuff, looking through their fridge. Learn to overcome the creepy sensation, and bring on the learn. Maybe start with <a href="http://www.hanselman.com/blog/CategoryView.aspx?category=Source+Code">Hanselman's Weekly Source Code</a> series. </li><li>Run a static analysis tool against your codeUse <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb429476%28VS.80%29.aspx">fxcop</a>, or <a href="http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/sourceanalysis">StyleCop</a>, <a href="http://www.codeplex.com/CloneDetectiveVS">clone detective</a>, <a href="http://www.ndepend.com/">ndepend</a>, the <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/fxcop/archive/2007/10/03/new-for-visual-studio-2008-code-metrics.aspx">code metrics feature</a> of VS 2008, or any other static analysis tool of your choice. Uncover your greatest weakness. Even a cursory glance at the output will leave you distraught at just how much room you've got for improvement. </li><li>Pick an ugly method to refactorYou know the method. That method you're particularly ashamed of. That one that's long and ugly and horrible. And it's crucial to the whole application. You don't have to polish it from a turd to a diamond, but just neaten it up a little. Rename a variable. Hoist part of it out into a separate method. Start simple. The momentum will increase. Watch out. </li><li>Stop reading, start writing.And don't just write. Write a compiler! This ol' <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc136756.aspx">msdn article</a> is a good place to start. <a href="http://callvirt.net/blog/">Joel Pobar</a> will get you writing your own language compiler in but a handful of minutes. </li></ol>That's all I've come up with for now. But what've you got? What are some activities that helped you be a better programmer?

How to become a better Programmer

This will give you a few hints and some help to becoming a better programmer. So read on and enjoy! Programming can be a lot of fun. Go for ...

Best Books on Hacking and Defense Security

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271441?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1593271441" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="hacking%2Bbooks" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H-6kOcTQZom9ajEMz3XFNJWXlfua2mEYKczgpgkrFDQU9547FaBIJLn71Fuc3at_7it4OS1cqAglD1S40qZ7NKbt1sBrUNHzItfA4iNutvH47HlnBxMZUp68-PB4pdic95ALu-Qobs0/s200/hacking+books.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>These Hacking books are all part of a genre of books that show, in detail, the methods, tools, tricks and techniques used by professional hackers and crackers to find and exploit the holes in your network. Rather than simply teaching people "how to hack" these hacking books go one step further and tell you how to protect yourself and defend your network from these attacks. These are my Top Picks and Best Collated Hacking Books for this category of books. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271441?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1593271441">1. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=profehackitri-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593271441" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> Hacking is the art of creative problem solving, whether that means finding an unconventional solution to a difficult problem or exploiting holes in sloppy programming. Many people call themselves hackers, but few have the strong technical foundation needed to really push the envelope. Rather than merely showing how to run existing exploits, author Jon Erickson explains how arcane hacking techniques actually work. To share the art and science of hacking in a way that is accessible to everyone, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271441?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1593271441">Hacking: The Art of Exploitation</a>, 2nd Edition introduces the fundamentals of C programming from a hacker's perspective. Hackers are always pushing the boundaries, investigating the unknown, and evolving their art. Even if you don't already know how to program, Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition will give you a complete picture of programming, machine architecture, network communications, and existing hacking techniques. Combine this knowledge with the included Linux environment, and all you need is your own creativity. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071613749?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0071613749">2. Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets and Solutions, Sixth Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=profehackitri-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0071613749" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> A lot of computer-security textbooks approach the subject from a defensive point of view. "Do this, and probably you'll survive a particular kind of attack," they say. In refreshing contrast, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071613749?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0071613749">Hacking Exposed, Second Edition</a> talks about security from an offensive angle. A Jane's-like catalog of the weaponry that black-hat hackers use is laid out in full. Readers see what programs are out there, get a rundown on what the programs can do, and benefit from detailed explanations of concepts (such as wardialing and rootkits) that most system administrators kind of understand, but perhaps not in detail. The book also walks through how to use the more powerful and popular hacker software, including L0phtCrack. This new edition has been updated extensively, largely with the results of "honeypot" exercises (in which attacks on sacrificial machines are monitored) and Windows 2000 public security trials. There's a lot of new stuff on e-mail worms, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and attacks that involve routing protocols. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470550937?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470550937">3. Hacking For Dummies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=profehackitri-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470550937" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> It's bad enough when a hack occurs-stealing identities, bank accounts, and personal information. But when the hack could have been prevented by taking basic security measures-like the ones described in this book-somehow that makes a bad situation even worse. This <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470550937?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470550937">beginner guide to hacking</a> examines some of the best security measures that exist and has been updated to cover the latest hacks for Windows 7 and the newest version of Linux. Offering increased coverage of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470550937?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470550937">Web application hacks, database hacks, VoIP hacks, and mobile computing hacks</a>, this guide addresses a wide range of vulnerabilities and how to identify and prevent them. Plus, you'll examine why ethical hacking is oftentimes the only way to find security flaws, which can then prevent any future malicious attacks. <ul><li>Explores the malicious hackers's mindset so that you can counteract or avoid attacks completely </li><li>Covers developing strategies for reporting vulnerabilities, managing security changes, and putting anti-hacking policies and procedures in place </li><li>Completely updated to examine the latest hacks to Windows 7 and the newest version of Linux </li><li>Explains ethical hacking and why it is essential </li></ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470550937?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470550937">Hacking For Dummies</a>, 3rd Edition shows you how to put all the necessary security measures in place so that you avoid becoming a victim of malicious hacking. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470294191?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470294191">4. The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=profehackitri-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470294191" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> Since 1984, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470294191?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470294191">quarterly magazine 2600</a> has provided fascinating articles for readers who are curious about technology. Find the best of the magazine’s writing in Best of 2600: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470294191?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470294191">A Hacker Odyssey</a>, a collection of the strongest, most interesting, and often most controversial articles covering 24 years of changes in technology, all from a hacker’s perspective. Included are stories about the creation of the infamous tone dialer “red box” that allowed hackers to make free phone calls from payphones, the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the insecurity of modern locks. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470639539?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470639539">5. Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=profehackitri-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0470639539" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> From elicitation, pretexting, influence and manipulation all aspects of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470639539?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470639539">social engineering</a> are picked apart, discussed and explained by using real world examples, personal experience and the science behind them to unraveled the mystery in social engineering. Kevin Mitnick—one of the most famous <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470639539?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470639539">social engineers in the world</a>—popularized the term “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470639539?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470639539">social engineering</a>.” He explained that it is much easier to trick someone into revealing a password for a system than to exert the effort of hacking into the system. Mitnick claims that this social engineering tactic was the single-most effective method in his arsenal. This indispensable book examines a variety of maneuvers that are aimed at deceiving unsuspecting victims, while it also addresses ways to prevent social engineering threats. <ul><li>Examines social engineering, the science of influencing a target to perform a desired task or divulge information </li><li>Arms you with invaluable information about the many methods of trickery that hackers use in order to gather information with the intent of executing identity theft, fraud, or gaining computer system access </li><li>Reveals vital steps for preventing social engineering threats </li></ul><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470639539?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470639539">Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking</a> does its part to prepare you against nefarious hackers—now you can do your part by putting to good use the critical information within its pages <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072262575?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0072262575">6. Hacking Exposed Linux, 3rd Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=profehackitri-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0072262575" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072262575?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0072262575">The Latest Linux Security Solutions</a> This authoritative guide will help you secure your Linux network--whether you use Linux as a desktop OS, for Internet services, for telecommunications, or for wireless services. Completely rewritten the ISECOM way, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072262575?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0072262575">Hacking Exposed Linux, Third Edition </a>provides the most up-to-date coverage available from a large team of topic-focused experts. The book is based on the latest ISECOM security research and shows you, in full detail, how to lock out intruders  and defend your Linux systems against catastrophic attacks. <ul><li>Secure Linux by using attacks and countermeasures from the latest OSSTMM research</li><li>Follow attack techniques of PSTN, ISDN, and PSDN over Linux</li><li>Harden VoIP, Bluetooth, RF, RFID, and IR devices on Linux</li><li>Block Linux signal jamming, cloning, and eavesdropping attacks</li><li>Apply Trusted Computing and cryptography tools for your best defense</li><li>Fix vulnerabilities in DNS, SMTP, and Web 2.0 services</li><li>Prevent SPAM, Trojan, phishing, DoS, and DDoS exploits </li><li>Find and repair errors in C code with static analysis and Hoare Logic</li></ul><div>If you really want to enhance your hacking skills I employ you to get hold of these best hacking books. I will be adding more useful hacking books that can help develop your ability to solve both simple and complex computer problems because that what hacking generally means.</div><ul></ul>

Best Books on Hacking and Defense Security

These Hacking books are all part of a genre of books that show, in detail, the methods, tools, tricks and techniques used by professional ha...

Changing Ubuntu Usplash Screen Easily

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrYTLolOBgX-TLQhymSPPn8UViopfVYNgTDhEbElce_-zHSL6dCPTuGyWFyU5fX5SpwmUmWZCJTolQOPHYqvGMga7MUYBq9Eao9UNbV42nStIe3IF3iYLz7lDTc1Abn-pV3kV72XHE9o/s1600/ubuntu-usplash.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrYTLolOBgX-TLQhymSPPn8UViopfVYNgTDhEbElce_-zHSL6dCPTuGyWFyU5fX5SpwmUmWZCJTolQOPHYqvGMga7MUYBq9Eao9UNbV42nStIe3IF3iYLz7lDTc1Abn-pV3kV72XHE9o/s1600/ubuntu-usplash.png" /></a></div>I remember when I first booted up Ubuntu on my computer five years ago that I wasn’t very impressed with the dull black usplash screen. It gave me a feeling that I was back to the Windows 95 era. five years down the road, even though the Ubuntu team has made changes and improvements to the usplash screen, it is still nowhere close to beautiful. Luckily, a good thing about Linux (and Ubuntu) is that it is fully customizable and you can tweak every single part to your liking. That is to say, even though the default does not come with a beautiful usplash screen, you can still change ubuntu usplash screen to display your favorite image. Follow the guide below and you’ll be able to change Ubuntu splash screen in no time. In Ubuntu Intrepid, there is a bug that prevents you from setting your own usplash screen. To overcome this, we will remove the default usplash and install <a href="http://splashy.alioth.debian.org/wiki/">splashy</a>. Removing the usplash Open up a terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) and type the following command to remove the default usplash. sudo apt-get autoremove usplash Installing splashy Download the deb files for your machine: 32-bit: <a href="http://alioth.debian.org/frs/download.php/2461/libsplashy1_0.3.10-1_i386.deb">libsplashy1_0.3.10-1_i386.deb</a>, <a href="http://alioth.debian.org/frs/download.php/2462/splashy_0.3.10-1_i386.deb">splashy_0.3.10-1_i386.deb</a> 64-bit: <a href="http://alioth.debian.org/frs/download.php/2711/libsplashy1-dev_0.3.13-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb">libsplashy1-dev_0.3.13-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb</a>, <a href="http://alioth.debian.org/frs/download.php/2710/libsplashy1_0.3.13-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb">libsplashy1_0.3.13-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb</a>, <a href="http://alioth.debian.org/frs/download.php/2712/splashy_0.3.13-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb">splashy_0.3.13-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb</a> Double click the packages to install splashy in your machine. Back to the terminal, sudo apt-get install splashy-themes Download your favorite splashy theme There are several places where you can find and download beautiful splashy themes. Here are some of them for your references. <ul><li>In the /usr/share/splashy/themes folder.</li><li><a href="http://gnome-look.org/">Gnome-look</a> (Search for ‘splashy’ in the search bar)</li><li><a href="http://splashy.alioth.debian.org/wiki/themes/contrib">Splashy theme page</a></li><li><a href="http://www.kde-look.org/">KDE-look</a></li></ul>Once you have found your favorite theme, download it to your desktop. The file should be in tar.gz format. (If you are looking to create your own splash themes, here is the <a href="http://maketecheasier.com/create-install-your-own-usplash-theme-in-ubuntu/2009/01/25">full tutorial</a>) To install the file, type the following command in the terminal. sudo splashy_config –i /path-to-the-file.tar.gz sudo splashy_config -s name-of-the-file sudo update-initramfs -u To illustrate, assuming that I have downloaded a theme with the name custom-usplash.tar.gz onto my desktop. In my terminal, this is what I type: sudo splashy_config -i ~/Desktop/custom-usplash.tar.gz sudo splashy_config -s custom-usplash sudo update-initramfs -u It is important to type the command manually. Do not copy from here. WordPress displays the ‘-’ sign differently from the terminal. You might get errors if you copy/paste the command directly from here. Configuring the kernel entry In your terminal, type the following command to open the grub menu file gksu gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst Scroll down till you find the line kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=UUID=82ace599-c240-456a-8df9-96b0b477d00b ro  single Append the phrase ‘vga=791′ (without the quote) to the end of the line (refer to the image below). Save and close the file. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKC0-8RfTCNogsZgTk2gqsK0CR2UJ8E8N7b5tpXB58wrjAj6OrFBLSrVTRLRGf42BJZEXco8NCZ9-Ql-Wf3iZhQHi1TLVZPkc4kSm6B3_sQuMZR0P3P-J1Nc401A7XDX3slbM0vIKEW8g/s1600/grub-splashy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKC0-8RfTCNogsZgTk2gqsK0CR2UJ8E8N7b5tpXB58wrjAj6OrFBLSrVTRLRGf42BJZEXco8NCZ9-Ql-Wf3iZhQHi1TLVZPkc4kSm6B3_sQuMZR0P3P-J1Nc401A7XDX3slbM0vIKEW8g/s1600/grub-splashy.png" /></a></div> That’s it. Restart your computer. You should see your favorite usplash in action. Here are some of the splashy theme screenshots (taken from gnome-look): <a href="http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Aqua+for+Splashy?content=44514">Aqua for splashy</a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nqNa5mFTNSF-ohqrvv1zhmg_Zt5d3ucCwzUPVVfVpZna0YLoYI96F4DK4s_7xQH31EPPN8FFPAQbdkxuUUDL-g5KeT7tnQgaZ5sedJmrZEhijkUVDxRwi1koKQNCLTqSpIRptJ45170/s1600/usplash-screenshot1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nqNa5mFTNSF-ohqrvv1zhmg_Zt5d3ucCwzUPVVfVpZna0YLoYI96F4DK4s_7xQH31EPPN8FFPAQbdkxuUUDL-g5KeT7tnQgaZ5sedJmrZEhijkUVDxRwi1koKQNCLTqSpIRptJ45170/s1600/usplash-screenshot1.png" /></a></div> <a href="http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Simple+Blueish+for+Splashy?content=44531">Simple bluish for splashy</a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K-SuxfxwrlNGxgfX0DQYy70Oh2v0czQtF3q30opCOEykR2Fakg6f0FtCNz3xjBWtCaIrDt8T6Bp6EGgYNAZ_DnaNhrrwi0Wt4zK5iYBBK94_zZf62GFkBJ15pmE3iDA3ct9jAT5C9jE/s1600/usplash-screenshot2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K-SuxfxwrlNGxgfX0DQYy70Oh2v0czQtF3q30opCOEykR2Fakg6f0FtCNz3xjBWtCaIrDt8T6Bp6EGgYNAZ_DnaNhrrwi0Wt4zK5iYBBK94_zZf62GFkBJ15pmE3iDA3ct9jAT5C9jE/s320/usplash-screenshot2.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K-SuxfxwrlNGxgfX0DQYy70Oh2v0czQtF3q30opCOEykR2Fakg6f0FtCNz3xjBWtCaIrDt8T6Bp6EGgYNAZ_DnaNhrrwi0Wt4zK5iYBBK94_zZf62GFkBJ15pmE3iDA3ct9jAT5C9jE/s1600/usplash-screenshot2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div> <a href="http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Ubuntu+Glass+Splashy+Theme?content=44558">Ubuntu Glass</a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapS4ZVCR3Y27BQkGlic08Zo9MAIbWRpMQoDMaksm3IuT0SgT-y8gr216afnqySQQz3XIcbnU8zoIQ1_O8s5aUYS_s6_rUC-VzwbDOp5Tio-x83PLeIw61xUJHloipWl0qtMsE_iMicvo/s1600/usplash-screenshot3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapS4ZVCR3Y27BQkGlic08Zo9MAIbWRpMQoDMaksm3IuT0SgT-y8gr216afnqySQQz3XIcbnU8zoIQ1_O8s5aUYS_s6_rUC-VzwbDOp5Tio-x83PLeIw61xUJHloipWl0qtMsE_iMicvo/s1600/usplash-screenshot3.png" /></a></div> Uninstallation To uninstall splashy and to return the usplash screen to the original setting, type the following in the terminal. sudo apt-get autoremove splashy splashy-themes sudo apt-get install usplash Your usplash screen should now return to the default setting.

Changing Ubuntu Usplash Screen Easily

I remember when I first booted up Ubuntu on my computer five years ago that I wasn’t very impressed with the dull black usplash screen. It g...

8 Handy / Useful Plugins For Gnome-Do

<a href="http://do.davebsd.com/">Gnome-Do</a> is a quicksilver-like application for Linux. By itself, it is only a simple application launcher, and seriously speaking, I find that there is nothing great about it on its own. However, if you make good use of the plugins in the repository, you will discover that there are tons of things  that you can do with it. Some of them are really a great time-saver and are able to make your life easier. So here it is, my recommendation of the 8 most useful plugins for Gnome-Do: 1. Locate files <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim66ZKAUpRVm87KiOsqcHbJJv_raYMrLw83cfN9EZFT-wSzWkmy9CMK41ScyvHanvtdzVCl3wXdfU3pErSpNlUPMJUjSBoXINI8mpSS_5PSMssj6fubbHfhxxqo_fwQuHehSK80itsjYU/s1600/gnome-do-locatefile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim66ZKAUpRVm87KiOsqcHbJJv_raYMrLw83cfN9EZFT-wSzWkmy9CMK41ScyvHanvtdzVCl3wXdfU3pErSpNlUPMJUjSBoXINI8mpSS_5PSMssj6fubbHfhxxqo_fwQuHehSK80itsjYU/s1600/gnome-do-locatefile.jpg" /></a></div> I am definitely not the type who likes to dig several levels down the filesystem to locate a particular file. That is where the ‘Locate file‘ plugin is useful. Load up Gnome-Do (by pressing “Win + Space” key), type the first few characters of the filename and it will fetch the required files for you, no matter how secluded it is. 2. Twitter <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBkXyn5X-VReKiEi3A43z0lgetrwFii743iSO2fxXK1yoNAE_iZf6DACe0iCB5epwE7CPzyBH492eR9rWOh3-8ExaF0YdkokYZS3lpOLZhXNEJaStcyW3xr3G8n1T7We2VaMNaQLAdEo/s1600/gnome-do-twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBkXyn5X-VReKiEi3A43z0lgetrwFii743iSO2fxXK1yoNAE_iZf6DACe0iCB5epwE7CPzyBH492eR9rWOh3-8ExaF0YdkokYZS3lpOLZhXNEJaStcyW3xr3G8n1T7We2VaMNaQLAdEo/s1600/gnome-do-twitter.jpg" /></a></div> Send your tweets from the Gnome-Do without having to open your Twitter client. A good and quick way to update your twitter without having too much distraction. 3. Rhythmbox <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekHDrwySH32MLOGUULzjG8fRdMZ1iKwoUvb1whYge59WiXJpSMSAWCCCDgU7n0d8H7I1ozjEZq861xquCJa_hMJ9X0KeItKpGnRi8VhvRli3erYZuBUWYMF5kIyIlhwoNaunAHwHaFG0/s1600/gnome-do-rhythmbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekHDrwySH32MLOGUULzjG8fRdMZ1iKwoUvb1whYge59WiXJpSMSAWCCCDgU7n0d8H7I1ozjEZq861xquCJa_hMJ9X0KeItKpGnRi8VhvRli3erYZuBUWYMF5kIyIlhwoNaunAHwHaFG0/s1600/gnome-do-rhythmbox.jpg" /></a></div> If you are like me, who enjoys playing music in the background while working, then this plugin is particularly useful. You can control your Rhythmbox to start playing your favorite track, pause, mute, unmute, volume up/down, change to next/previous track or to display current track info, all within the small Gnome-Do box. 4. Gnome Terminal <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1QqtYOcwtiH2aqqV1DSDaoo0oKcXl6RD6DtfKMPgmREqgvSCSN9Brwv6aGbUZrSDLPuzptCnSmtcT0Tkci6C7DYv_unm8HjO5dZT64DVAAvsslXLWSNH3bMXskg1NFbu5gOih4I680s/s1600/gnome-do-terminal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1QqtYOcwtiH2aqqV1DSDaoo0oKcXl6RD6DtfKMPgmREqgvSCSN9Brwv6aGbUZrSDLPuzptCnSmtcT0Tkci6C7DYv_unm8HjO5dZT64DVAAvsslXLWSNH3bMXskg1NFbu5gOih4I680s/s1600/gnome-do-terminal.jpg" /></a></div> Gnome Terminal is useful because it eliminates the need for you to launch the Terminal. Being someone who love the command line interface more than the GUI, I simply love this plugin that allows me to type and run in the command line from Gnome-Do. (I used to have a Terminal shortcut icon on my dock so that I can launch the Terminal quickly. Ever since, I installed this plugin, I have removed the shortcut icon from my dock as I have no longer any use of it) 5. Apturl <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx-NE6hlloQbvKGAWxLSOB_tsLdwiSZqNM4-P3HUbNxRSJh16MHTl_2gem-w6NpkLe_NXXglOoayoZR2hO8ReJFVIrK5Bqc23H1o8yLKqY-U1eeqMNww7bP7_MmdxkAym6aCa4panRME/s1600/gnome-do-apturl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx-NE6hlloQbvKGAWxLSOB_tsLdwiSZqNM4-P3HUbNxRSJh16MHTl_2gem-w6NpkLe_NXXglOoayoZR2hO8ReJFVIrK5Bqc23H1o8yLKqY-U1eeqMNww7bP7_MmdxkAym6aCa4panRME/s1600/gnome-do-apturl.jpg" /></a></div> Rather than typing ‘sudo apt-get install package-name’ everytime you wanted to install a package, now you just need to type the package name and Gnome-do will do the installation for you. The only caveat: this works only if you know the full name of the package and spell it correctly. 6. Opensearch <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBzKdam1ZkaAap3ttjk-cPsUoSbQiYGn6AxFqy3GqeUkKOM6D2Ybr4yxECHbeumgSUturJpvJZojwcpWyChmcv2pnMocK5fVu3hvgYkJMsOp6mPQuc2Rgy_YxxcQ2BAiMOithBKsthmw/s1600/gnome-do-opensearch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBzKdam1ZkaAap3ttjk-cPsUoSbQiYGn6AxFqy3GqeUkKOM6D2Ybr4yxECHbeumgSUturJpvJZojwcpWyChmcv2pnMocK5fVu3hvgYkJMsOp6mPQuc2Rgy_YxxcQ2BAiMOithBKsthmw/s1600/gnome-do-opensearch.png" /></a></div> Opensearch allows you to search from your desktop using a variety of search engines. From Google, Yahoo, eBay, CreativeCommon, Answer.com, Amazon.com to Wikipedia, depending on what you want to find, you can easily get the information you want from Gnome-Do. I particularly like to use CreativeCommon to find photos for my blog. 7. Flickr <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWomakmLQdk6WCT5SlgMTjt5ww3Gf6wvOuuYgZUmBoShw0Yr3cBlePbN0GZlzwCZJVzUvRSFjeGsmFPbIlZdSHAmveilLkux3c0MJTrIxFb2-LlVAP9_nLOHcDeVzYonVkWcRKK7I7a-s/s1600/gnome-do-flickr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWomakmLQdk6WCT5SlgMTjt5ww3Gf6wvOuuYgZUmBoShw0Yr3cBlePbN0GZlzwCZJVzUvRSFjeGsmFPbIlZdSHAmveilLkux3c0MJTrIxFb2-LlVAP9_nLOHcDeVzYonVkWcRKK7I7a-s/s1600/gnome-do-flickr.jpg" /></a></div> Quickly upload your photos to Flickr without accessing your Flickr account in the browser. You can choose to upload one photo or a bunch of photos from a particular folder. It works quietly in the background and does not provide any distraction. 8) Tomboy Notes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJmzG-_PBGcQjkzjbV2eykksZfcAQfX8rykDyE0IBBEkCX8w88esyVLSuK_N5GzUZ76iQXBkR3AFUAnD8m9ycQ0rhuCs7dlk4A3VmgPNnJzLSigYkAtGs0JIi5NR-hGQb6wUCdtXlaJU/s1600/gnome-do-tomboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJmzG-_PBGcQjkzjbV2eykksZfcAQfX8rykDyE0IBBEkCX8w88esyVLSuK_N5GzUZ76iQXBkR3AFUAnD8m9ycQ0rhuCs7dlk4A3VmgPNnJzLSigYkAtGs0JIi5NR-hGQb6wUCdtXlaJU/s1600/gnome-do-tomboy.jpg" /></a></div> Do you feel disoriented without your Tomboy notes? Well, I do. I use Tomboy notes to keep reference to articles that I have read online. That’s why I find this plugin particularly useful. It provides you with a quick and neat way to create a new note or to dig up material from your existing Tomboy notes. It is very handy when you have all the information at your fingertips. (To install plugins, load up Gnome-Do by pressing ‘Win + Space’ keys. Click on the arrow at the top right hand corner and select ‘Preferences’. Go to the ‘Plugins’ tab and check the plugins you want.) What are your favorite Gnome-Do plugins?

8 Handy / Useful Plugins For Gnome-Do

Gnome-Do is a quicksilver-like application for Linux. By itself, it is only a simple application launcher, and seriously speaking, I find t...

Becoming more dymanic with Launchy Keystroke Launcher

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMamNhhUz2XahvA5MeHkO1pWbg9wUtYN3O2AkGEVvJFs_vVveriIbqJML4b4rHdzAUJN9VQ0F6PtcfAs_FoTvv-Zz3oqSaMeG8ehkiI2wwGQZ_ev9fqXQ9_7KqG6HhYMU_KGLiwOhEMY/s1600/tmp4B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ9XbnnBM2ZIXOoqD_0MAY7y43bg2Vcq0i98Y7OCdvqu9eLcsANYkXWGAiilHS8sAtT9QFSwGf3wCT8AgR8WvCZLa518ZSjCtkyU_GyNP8lBOksSM9GXlMMeGjKpQG4e3a5WM9lPJMvc/s1600/launchylogomainblue.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ9XbnnBM2ZIXOoqD_0MAY7y43bg2Vcq0i98Y7OCdvqu9eLcsANYkXWGAiilHS8sAtT9QFSwGf3wCT8AgR8WvCZLa518ZSjCtkyU_GyNP8lBOksSM9GXlMMeGjKpQG4e3a5WM9lPJMvc/s1600/launchylogomainblue.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.launchy.net/">Launchy</a>, previously mentioned as <a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-alternatives-to-windows-start-menu/">a Windows start menu alternative</a>, is a powerful keystroke based launcher for your Windows computer. Using Launchy, you can start programs, view files and folders, access bookmarks and perform other such tasks. In this post, I’ll talk about how you can use Launchy to stay more productive throughout the day. Trust me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll never touch icons or your start menu again. It just rocks. Before you go about using it, let’s have a look at some basic configuration options that you can alter to make Launchy work better for you. Installation and Basic Configuration Just grab the installer from <a href="http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=132975&package_id=146049">the Sourceforge page</a>, install Launchy and if the installation went smoothly – chances are you won’t see anything new. No system tray icon. No visible windows. Yup, nothing really. Until you press the ALT + SPACE keys together. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMamNhhUz2XahvA5MeHkO1pWbg9wUtYN3O2AkGEVvJFs_vVveriIbqJML4b4rHdzAUJN9VQ0F6PtcfAs_FoTvv-Zz3oqSaMeG8ehkiI2wwGQZ_ev9fqXQ9_7KqG6HhYMU_KGLiwOhEMY/s1600/tmp4B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMamNhhUz2XahvA5MeHkO1pWbg9wUtYN3O2AkGEVvJFs_vVveriIbqJML4b4rHdzAUJN9VQ0F6PtcfAs_FoTvv-Zz3oqSaMeG8ehkiI2wwGQZ_ev9fqXQ9_7KqG6HhYMU_KGLiwOhEMY/s1600/tmp4B.png" /></a> You can now right click on the Launchy box and configure Launchy’s behaviour by going to Options. Keep the first option checked if you want Launchy to be shown all the time. I wouldn’t recommend it though, since it’d interrupt your use of other applications/windows. You can, of course, modify the shortcut key to anything you wish – just modify the Hotkey option. You can also set the transparency levels from the GUI Options. Launchy also provides alternate suggestions if you typed an unknown program name, you can set how many such items should be displayed. From the Skins tab, you can choose from a number of skins for Launchy to make it blend with your desktop. User-created skins are available on <a href="http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/applaunchers/launchy/?order=5">DeviantArt.com</a> and also from the <a href="http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=766268">Sourceforge forum</a>. Configure Indexing Launchy needs to index your programs before you can actually use it. By default, Launchy indexes your Start Menu folder since most programs are present there. However, if you want to be able to launch your programs or files, you need to tell Launchy where they’re present. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogqg7KfIZqHyaimDbdNT0RpE-M7TcyxPKA0IdFwLPmzw5b509a3EVfZqb0ECUNAPFdOgOm6nTqqIE01qa-EyuFRShDU6l11veycQ458irxQSbN7PIjuY2HK1IYq6Sf-JDWw3DKtgWf7g/s1600/tmp4D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogqg7KfIZqHyaimDbdNT0RpE-M7TcyxPKA0IdFwLPmzw5b509a3EVfZqb0ECUNAPFdOgOm6nTqqIE01qa-EyuFRShDU6l11veycQ458irxQSbN7PIjuY2HK1IYq6Sf-JDWw3DKtgWf7g/s1600/tmp4D.png" /></a></div> To do this, use the Catalog tab and use the + button to add your commonly used directories to the Launchy index. You also need to specify what files need to be indexed – you might want your music files indexed, but not your .dll files. You can specify using the File Types box. By checking the Executables option, you’re telling it to index all .exe files (these are generally software programs installed on your computer). When you’re done with that, just click Rescan Catalog and now Launchy should have got all your program and files info into your index. Pretty quick too! Using Launchy <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWdbrBIecxglrAhGXCPRogNpn8R4Fm0pfeWlDz3Gmg6sprAKaf1YOSywt1Lns7a4PE5vHdm7JixMChlCIr_G-g8QX63k-cdkpnR_rHcaW0R_OYXXcLWtbyPMOMHR8IZtXb3p3FBQADVE/s1600/launchy_scrn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWdbrBIecxglrAhGXCPRogNpn8R4Fm0pfeWlDz3Gmg6sprAKaf1YOSywt1Lns7a4PE5vHdm7JixMChlCIr_G-g8QX63k-cdkpnR_rHcaW0R_OYXXcLWtbyPMOMHR8IZtXb3p3FBQADVE/s320/launchy_scrn.png" width="320" /></a> Let’s take off with Launchy. First, just press the default hotkey combination. If you’ve modified the hotkey using the settings, press the ones that you’ve opted for. The launch window should popup. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWYKDvgX7PNnEvyu3SMDXNzINqwLbPKD7oVTlB0mevJ-WVt15cpFhtpaDlackrRUzRUhSqzRhvKz22_p2c4OwQj1vj5yGaaQWtEPcgQZLX05wb8j3PL7yOburOnyXebpyn9Rh-3AlLf0/s1600/launchy_scrn2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWYKDvgX7PNnEvyu3SMDXNzINqwLbPKD7oVTlB0mevJ-WVt15cpFhtpaDlackrRUzRUhSqzRhvKz22_p2c4OwQj1vj5yGaaQWtEPcgQZLX05wb8j3PL7yOburOnyXebpyn9Rh-3AlLf0/s320/launchy_scrn2.png" width="320" /></a></div>launchy_scrnJust type in a few letters of the app’s name and Launchy should instantly show its icon in the dock. Have a look at the screenshot on the right. I typed fox and it suggested Firefox. I launched it by pressing Enter launchy_scrn2 In case you typed something and some other program instead of the program you intended to start shows up, just use the “down arrow” key for more programs that match your keyword. For instance, I typed Windows and it showed multiple suggestions. Launchy can also be used as a simple calculator and it can peform basic arithmetic operations. Portable Launchy If you’ve got a USB drive and it’s loaded with portable apps, then the portable version of Launchy is something you shouldn’t miss to check out. Just activate the Portable Mode option from the Options dialog (please see the first screenshot in this post). Then, copy the Launchy folder from C:\Program Files and put it on your USB Drive. Launchy will now store its configuration files in your thumb drive and will act as a portable launcher. Plugins Launchy supports plugins, and a few basic plugins are already present and can be activated. For instance, the Weby plugin indexes your Firefox and IE bookmarks so that you can open them quickly from Launchy. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVEJT_kkrSRl9Zg3_WQFF9tSoOVac_RWCPx61EmplgZlBa9z9YPdSNj8jlCicMr_J4oqNbpb_ZhiXSY-bLSSajjHe23oD3bMd3sgjeJRPoKrfLkl4GWA99ASXIOEO-y8jfL8HQav89CE/s1600/tmp73.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVEJT_kkrSRl9Zg3_WQFF9tSoOVac_RWCPx61EmplgZlBa9z9YPdSNj8jlCicMr_J4oqNbpb_ZhiXSY-bLSSajjHe23oD3bMd3sgjeJRPoKrfLkl4GWA99ASXIOEO-y8jfL8HQav89CE/s1600/tmp73.png" /></a></div> You might find some more useful plugins for Launchy <a href="http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=677087">here</a>.

Becoming more dymanic with Launchy Keystroke Launcher

Launchy , previously mentioned as a Windows start menu alternative , is a powerful keystroke based launcher for your Windows computer. Using...

16 Cool Ubuntu Tips For Linux Users

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAhAuazyphKE_-UTCtMvQh6fd6CJl9nGT2ilmXnRVpoXSau60WObGkLd69CRKV28zwGRfqMIgI7W5nvl5FvcmYQgXsYZtZQlARqmGp-Kh85EX90b2650Ka0RheUjgmGeA9NQYpwLC2oQ/s1600/UbuntuLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAhAuazyphKE_-UTCtMvQh6fd6CJl9nGT2ilmXnRVpoXSau60WObGkLd69CRKV28zwGRfqMIgI7W5nvl5FvcmYQgXsYZtZQlARqmGp-Kh85EX90b2650Ka0RheUjgmGeA9NQYpwLC2oQ/s1600/UbuntuLogo.png" /></a></div>Yesterday, I wrote about <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/4-powerful-downloadable-ebooks-to-teach.html">books that beginners can download and read</a> to teach themselves Linux. Today in the Linux section we have something for the power users. Here are a few tips you should try out if you are an avid Ubuntu Linux user: 1. Get lightning fast and clever at the command line You can use keyboard shortcuts and other command line tricks to make entering commands easier and faster. You might already know about the ‘tab’ key which completes partial commands and even file and directory names. Here are some other keyboard shortcuts you can use within terminal: <table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="85">Ctrl-a</td><td width="423">Move to the start of the line.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-e</td><td>Move to the end of the line.</td></tr><tr><td>Alt-] x</td><td>Moves the cursor forward to the next occurrence of x.</td></tr><tr><td>Alt-Ctrl-] x</td><td>Moves the cursor backwards to the previous occurrence of x.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-u</td><td>Delete from the cursor to the beginning of the line.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-k</td><td>Delete from the cursor to the end of the line.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-w</td><td>Delete from the cursor to the start of the word.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-y</td><td>Pastes text from the clipboard.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-l</td><td>Clear the screen leaving the current line at the top of the screen.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-x Ctrl-u</td><td>Undo the last changes. Ctrl-_</td></tr><tr><td>Alt-r</td><td>Undo all changes to the line.</td></tr><tr><td>Alt-Ctrl-e</td><td>Expand command line.</td></tr><tr><td>Ctrl-r</td><td>Incremental reverse search of history.</td></tr><tr><td>Alt-p</td><td>Non-incremental reverse search of history.</td></tr><tr><td>!!</td><td>Execute last command in history</td></tr><tr><td>!abc</td><td>Execute last command in history beginning with abc</td></tr><tr><td>!n</td><td>Execute nth command in history</td></tr><tr><td>^abc^xyz</td><td>Replace first occurrence of abc with xyz in last command and execute it</td></tr></tbody></table> 2. Launch Ubuntu Linux Applications with keyboard There are two ways you can achieve this: <ul><li>Use applications like <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/becoming-more-dymanic-with-launchy.html">Launchy</a> or <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/8-handy-useful-plugins-for-gnome-do.html">Gnome-Do</a> that make it easier to launch applications by typing a few characters of the application’s name.</li><li> Or you can summon gconf editor (Alt+F2 then type gconf-editor and hit enter), and navigate to apps > metacity > global_keybindings, double click on any of the run_command_N and type in the keyboard shortcut you want to assign to an application then make a mental note of the number N. Then go to apps > metacity > keybinding_commands and double click on command_N (N being the number you used above) and type in the command you want to run. As an example if you wanted to run Firefox you would type in firefox.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj019U-sCafYKmtFAURUPwXLI81ZiaxpUTRsHMk2-cLUboPveGulOFAP0Mgbfd7upT2UXOvNcuXgYmyFP60MX0ZrMM8K9Fu_Z5sIorGrvbpvzbahyphenhyphenG99JWyG7UQ7uCMaDGMQLyzk7doKh4/s1600/keybindings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj019U-sCafYKmtFAURUPwXLI81ZiaxpUTRsHMk2-cLUboPveGulOFAP0Mgbfd7upT2UXOvNcuXgYmyFP60MX0ZrMM8K9Fu_Z5sIorGrvbpvzbahyphenhyphenG99JWyG7UQ7uCMaDGMQLyzk7doKh4/s1600/keybindings.png" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-W6zl1fXGGIwMxF6C4QPrtBQuQs-JKDdDE0SIZB7te9E2kFRdaMqFYY9dsvOr3nPvi4peNqAbCpNi8W42zNQ1fPM7T7t4PnrCKojSMq5TjS082g4Z-FizHiMHdtX-rHLYRY97hJ_vJQ/s1600/globalkeybindings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-W6zl1fXGGIwMxF6C4QPrtBQuQs-JKDdDE0SIZB7te9E2kFRdaMqFYY9dsvOr3nPvi4peNqAbCpNi8W42zNQ1fPM7T7t4PnrCKojSMq5TjS082g4Z-FizHiMHdtX-rHLYRY97hJ_vJQ/s1600/globalkeybindings.png" /></a></div> 3. Start from wherever you left off <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhHyI6RkzL8rujakWhKbhPpnQpao1g1bileMcmgiCccNuhzpjuFEtyNj1-a7CGhNhdo1ZuAGce7t2wcqj60s2_3GtzTkXpqMUmjSXNV-d67fKD7xFtJthLyQNMFedBBve40A4xJYtQ94/s1600/remember.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhHyI6RkzL8rujakWhKbhPpnQpao1g1bileMcmgiCccNuhzpjuFEtyNj1-a7CGhNhdo1ZuAGce7t2wcqj60s2_3GtzTkXpqMUmjSXNV-d67fKD7xFtJthLyQNMFedBBve40A4xJYtQ94/s1600/remember.png" /></a></div> You can make Ubuntu remember the applications you had open when you last logged out, so that when you log back in again you’ll find all those applications running and you can resume right from where you left off. To achieve this go to System > Preferences > Startup Applications, then go to the options tab and check "Automatically remember running applications when logging out" 4. Create a Separate Ubuntu Linux Home Partition <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Rt10eGvgp0DVcrgxwj_QgQ1QF1oS2tdT5DzdYleN9vb5EGpPSxjNVcAZJdyl8phZqDv-a1l1NQonjBZTuTCHWhphzDDoM6YLEcCyN0rNS5_bx8R2piS2T_xbQqYZ71Cb2fj2h8nKEI/s1600/mountashome.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Rt10eGvgp0DVcrgxwj_QgQ1QF1oS2tdT5DzdYleN9vb5EGpPSxjNVcAZJdyl8phZqDv-a1l1NQonjBZTuTCHWhphzDDoM6YLEcCyN0rNS5_bx8R2piS2T_xbQqYZ71Cb2fj2h8nKEI/s1600/mountashome.png" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N89qFlRxAO2UOUWEhgPAqjX3hvhhjMh6cafGOXLmgzMP6u2VDv_leQdTbnAm6uzlk6V6QJXNJH7Otb3u53sbhcvMK6-IzJT-pErfSNQiqIUEesdP32P7V5GD5ieWSy7sZjZcYGmGNhg/s1600/aptoncd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>New versions of Ubuntu arrive every 6 months. Although you can upgrade to the latest version via the update manager, sometimes the upgrade doesn’t work as expected so some users like to do a fresh clean install. The disadvantage with that of course is that you lose data you had in your home directory. To overcome this you can create a separate Home partition when you are installing Ubuntu, size it according to your requirements and then when you decide to install Ubuntu the next time, simply specify this partition as the Home partition (by choosing /home as the mount point). All your files and data on the Home partition will be preserved even after a fresh install. 5. Update and Install Ubuntu Linux Software Without Internet Connection <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N89qFlRxAO2UOUWEhgPAqjX3hvhhjMh6cafGOXLmgzMP6u2VDv_leQdTbnAm6uzlk6V6QJXNJH7Otb3u53sbhcvMK6-IzJT-pErfSNQiqIUEesdP32P7V5GD5ieWSy7sZjZcYGmGNhg/s1600/aptoncd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N89qFlRxAO2UOUWEhgPAqjX3hvhhjMh6cafGOXLmgzMP6u2VDv_leQdTbnAm6uzlk6V6QJXNJH7Otb3u53sbhcvMK6-IzJT-pErfSNQiqIUEesdP32P7V5GD5ieWSy7sZjZcYGmGNhg/s200/aptoncd.png" width="200" /></a></div>There are lots of way to do this, the easiest of all is to use APTonCD. APTonCD allows you to create CDs and DVD’s containing all the packages you want, which you can then use to install software on computers without an internet connection. Note that APTonCD requires you to have an internet connection (or downloaded packages) to create the installed media. However once the media is ready you don’t need an internet connection for any of the machines you want to install the software on. Insert the appropriate CD/DVD and use apt-get as you would normally. 6. Install new fonts, Microsoft fonts and improve font rendering <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B-0PqoCv3Xi8exaHnK6egbc6aEQpD0STNIkR7iHmIQKJeh5XXBOJzq7juPWqja2u2nECJRPvS7MD5gBUpX2IxwOMB9YuMf1KtXufftJtI_dM11Xuvw9BFA5fdTlmC5YilOzq06pGq5Y/s1600/fonts.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B-0PqoCv3Xi8exaHnK6egbc6aEQpD0STNIkR7iHmIQKJeh5XXBOJzq7juPWqja2u2nECJRPvS7MD5gBUpX2IxwOMB9YuMf1KtXufftJtI_dM11Xuvw9BFA5fdTlmC5YilOzq06pGq5Y/s1600/fonts.gif" /></a></div> Ubuntu doesn’t offer many choices when it comes to the fonts. However you can easily install new fonts including those from Microsoft like Arial, Verdana, impact and many more. You can use different sites to find the kind of font you are looking for. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zM81UwsmlCY8y3Zwv_eSj1yjMxl0PbeTAvNvS60Sym-0xdfG9OHZqwwzmgjL1NkvfINkcyr4inl-cWZ2CK7UbsBWWXTT3qrCY6h3OSh_xmJgHNojCQ3RRBkeobdvV9yehJBtHR0eKAQ/s1600/rootenable.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>7. Use PPAs, Install latest versions of software There are a lot of steps that a software has to go through before it becomes part of Ubuntu or becomes available through the Ubuntu repositories. While all those steps lend additional stability, it generally means that you don’t get the latest versions of all the software as soon as they are released. If you like to stay on the cutting edge, you can search for Personal Package Archives for your favorite software on <a href="https://launchpad.net/">Launchpad</a> and add those to your installation’s software sources. I briefly touched on PPAs and how to use them here. If that seems like too much work, you can also download the latest deb packages and install them by double clicking (you won’t get automatic updates for the software if you install it this way). Remember you might get into an occasional trouble or two with the latest versions, but mostly it wouldn’t be catastrophic. You can always hop over to the <a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/">Ubuntu Forums</a> to get quick help. 8. Be the root The root account is disabled by default on Ubuntu installations, mainly to prevent you from doing something you didn’t intend to do. However if you "promise to be careful" you can enable root account as follows: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zM81UwsmlCY8y3Zwv_eSj1yjMxl0PbeTAvNvS60Sym-0xdfG9OHZqwwzmgjL1NkvfINkcyr4inl-cWZ2CK7UbsBWWXTT3qrCY6h3OSh_xmJgHNojCQ3RRBkeobdvV9yehJBtHR0eKAQ/s1600/rootenable.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zM81UwsmlCY8y3Zwv_eSj1yjMxl0PbeTAvNvS60Sym-0xdfG9OHZqwwzmgjL1NkvfINkcyr4inl-cWZ2CK7UbsBWWXTT3qrCY6h3OSh_xmJgHNojCQ3RRBkeobdvV9yehJBtHR0eKAQ/s1600/rootenable.png" /></a></div> 1. Type sudo passwd root and provide a root password. 2. Then head on over to System > Administration > Login Window, go to the Security tab and check "Enable local system administrator login" You should now be able to login as root from the Login prompt. As an alternative you can use "sudo su" to provide your password and get root prompt. 9. Run Windows applications and games <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY62KapAMCLKyMxFQvGjJ7Zvv_vTvVFpf57wONGrwcxwyMi9AKIcu04Uu4HesRvN3sxuHxStIKAPyZHljsCz9kXVdT-idZNHZUoOkeB50PBRKiSe0OxvPKB7dLfxh96wIeSd3Hirfod58/s1600/menu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY62KapAMCLKyMxFQvGjJ7Zvv_vTvVFpf57wONGrwcxwyMi9AKIcu04Uu4HesRvN3sxuHxStIKAPyZHljsCz9kXVdT-idZNHZUoOkeB50PBRKiSe0OxvPKB7dLfxh96wIeSd3Hirfod58/s1600/menu.png" /></a></div> Who wouldn’t like to play Counter Strike on Ubuntu (unless of course you are completely not into it) or perhaps even run Photoshop? 10. Shorten boot time with profiling Ubuntu Linux devs have done a great job with the boot time, Jaunty is fast and Karmic is slotted to be even faster. There is however a bit more you can do by profiling your boot. Profiling lets Ubuntu make a list of all the files that are accessed during bootup, it then sorts the files according to how they are stored on your hard disk. So the next time the system is booted, the files would be read faster. To profile boot you need to follow these steps     * At the grub menu highlight the kernel you boot most often.     * Press e for edit.     * Choose the line starting with kernel and press e again. Now add the word profile to the end of this line. Hit Enter and then press b to boot Note that while profiling, the system will boot slower this one time, the next time however you should see an improvement. Also keep in mind that all this is machine-dependent and also depends on the arrangement of files on your hard disk, so the difference you see might not be huge, or even nil in some cases. 11. Try out different Ubuntu Linux Desktop Environments and Desktop Managers If you are looking for something different than the default Gnome interface, you should check out alternative desktop managers that you can use. If it is a complete Desktop Environment you are looking for, KDE4 has come a long way and is now impressively usable and fun. You can do a "sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop" to get KDE. 12. Create a media center or a media server <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmzIhXybOkL8CctjTIGBgkpNAUrkVKbVs13L3npJi7qVcni4pvpW_H9kRd86qUQ-b3ksByvIfUnuhKP7HB25Ein8ivk6CaDfWf173ecAHBWx1xmgWzyN8oOhSuexvrF4WdQM0b-oHpaQ/s1600/xbmcmedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmzIhXybOkL8CctjTIGBgkpNAUrkVKbVs13L3npJi7qVcni4pvpW_H9kRd86qUQ-b3ksByvIfUnuhKP7HB25Ein8ivk6CaDfWf173ecAHBWx1xmgWzyN8oOhSuexvrF4WdQM0b-oHpaQ/s1600/xbmcmedia.jpg" /></a></div> It would be great if you could easily browse and manage your huge collection of music, videos and pictures. Mesmerized by Windows Media Center’s slick interface? Wait till you see what all cool options you have to turn your Ubuntu system into a media center. You can even access your media collection on your phone, PSP or a different computer if you set up a media server on your Ubuntu machine. 13. Share Firefox profile data with Windows Many people use Windows and Linux on the same machine. If you are one of them, there would have been times you couldn’t find that bookmark you created or password you stored when you were using Firefox from within Windows. For different computers you can of course use <a href="http://labs.mozilla.com/projects/weave/">Weave</a>. 14. Customize Nautilus to your liking <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEHs3BwB5hSCcCGslOmMXbUsYspvAvrwnrzsSvB-WJiIFXFtrxvIMlaZGKTe_KXmkGI4pAa50YrrgKx_WDvw88wh7wimvuaE_Fz1nWopKAbV1SU6v0ABxt5CKJreyblzb-GdLhYyxXrQ/s1600/menunact.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEHs3BwB5hSCcCGslOmMXbUsYspvAvrwnrzsSvB-WJiIFXFtrxvIMlaZGKTe_KXmkGI4pAa50YrrgKx_WDvw88wh7wimvuaE_Fz1nWopKAbV1SU6v0ABxt5CKJreyblzb-GdLhYyxXrQ/s1600/menunact.png" /></a></div> Nautilus is the default file manager on Ubuntu. While you may be content with what it does, there is lots more you can make it do. You can use extensions to improve functionality and even add custom functionality to Nautilus 15. Compile your own Kernel If you can’t find something to keep you busy for the weekend and you have your customization hat on, how about building a kernel to specifically meet your requirements? This is frankly more of a learning experience. Some might say that it enables you to use just the features and drivers you require, but if everything is working fine with the kernel supplied and you don’t have any interest in the Linux kernel, skip ahead this one is not for you. If however you require some of the experimental features of the kernel, or need it to be compiled in some other special way we say you check out <a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/kernel/compile">this guide</a> within Ubuntu Documentation. 16. Change Usplash Screen and create a custom splash screen for GRUB <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zuWzsgh2DYDFj8_OXMKe9OycfuNxD_LmFRTiB_AuMe-YCVqNa8MrbG6XmGhlQkNVkr9GqJwB1ghIAQRxGCEM7QdwiFzPuEK4NhJKRlLzFO4epZlb9CL7jlGJJqfLHLX2jRhdhuWO4YE/s1600/ubuntu-usplash.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zuWzsgh2DYDFj8_OXMKe9OycfuNxD_LmFRTiB_AuMe-YCVqNa8MrbG6XmGhlQkNVkr9GqJwB1ghIAQRxGCEM7QdwiFzPuEK4NhJKRlLzFO4epZlb9CL7jlGJJqfLHLX2jRhdhuWO4YE/s1600/ubuntu-usplash.png" /></a></div>So you didn’t count the last one? Here is another one then. A Usplash screen is Ubuntu text and a logo with a progress bar that you see when you boot up Ubuntu. If you would like to change that to something more interesting <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/changing-ubuntu-usplash-screen-easily.html">follow these steps</a>. What better way to show your Linux fu than customizing the very first screen that appears? You can create a custom splash screen using one of your photos, GIMP and a little tweaking. <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/changing-ubuntu-usplash-screen-easily.html">Here is the how-to</a>. Know some more tips or great hacks for Ubuntu Linux users? Sure you do, go ahead let us know about them in the comments.

16 Cool Ubuntu Tips For Linux Users

Yesterday, I wrote about books that beginners can download and read to teach themselves Linux. Today in the Linux section we have something...

4 Powerful Downloadable eBooks To Teach Yourself Linux ~FREE~

<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0zzsHtLLdYaPCS8K3Fja3KeaLe_QVe2TGYtJWj5C3qy5kZd9eGsZYKfUZC_7T2lYoc8C6IOUrq7YXYb54Mi2Wc_Claec2tRE2SJ8l2co40h_bmTJ2VSfwXg7bMLb86S3P09QLcoXn34/s200/linux-penguin.jpg" width="166" /></div>Am sure you've heard of all the advantages and geeky babble about how Linux is better and you have finally decided to try it? Just one thing, you don’t know an awful lot about Linux to get you started. How about some free downloadable ebooks to teach yourself Linux, that you can download today? Would that help? Free – you ask? Yes, free. Welcome to the world of Linux where things are free both as in free speech and also as in free beer (mostly)! If you are starting out on your journey towards Linux awesomeness, here are a few free downloadable ebooks to teach yourself Linux that should help you along nicely: <a href="http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html">Introduction to Linux – A Hands on Guide</a> <div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5R_EGW9HOM_NOB-bEcmCb32GH_BX04ANgOy92exAG4TYQuvBi10e6IH0ww8BFdI_8bq1iyJo5hcVhXhN1KfmFF9CUxBaNVIfZ3RpTkCdzwDWL6Tnr3VdNv9l4rn52iBQ7v1WmFBqk-Q/s1600/handson.jpg" /></div>(<a href="http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/intro-linux.pdf">Download</a>) Takes you from the absolute basics to basics. This hands on guide tells you everything right from logging in, basic file management, backup techniques up to basics of networking. It is what you need if you are having difficulty figuring out how to get to that resume file you saved just now. The guide explains Linux file structure and introduces to basic commands and text editors as well. <a href="http://tldp.org/LDP/GNU-Linux-Tools-Summary/html/index.html">GNU/Linux Command line tools Summary</a> (<a href="http://tldp.org/LDP/GNU-Linux-Tools-Summary/GNU-Linux-Tools-Summary.pdf">Download</a>) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3QGsez1KwRGAHdDe4IvCuBSGgyPSymBaTQ8Tt5ABPAZHy8iV5YmogW4Xa2eUni7tbdfzyITE1wskKs_t39MzljSSJLvUPxEhQp0ux9_lRAR17nSKPhP67BGozPX1Ij89gQtuJ4SGat0/s1600/toolsummary.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3QGsez1KwRGAHdDe4IvCuBSGgyPSymBaTQ8Tt5ABPAZHy8iV5YmogW4Xa2eUni7tbdfzyITE1wskKs_t39MzljSSJLvUPxEhQp0ux9_lRAR17nSKPhP67BGozPX1Ij89gQtuJ4SGat0/s1600/toolsummary.png" /></a></div> One important aspect of working in Linux is that you have to familiar with the command line. This book shows you how to use the command line in Linux to your advantage. Apart from the ins and outs of the shell, this book also introduces various commands and the situations where you would use them. There are chapters that deal with specific tasks and list various commands you can use to achieve the task. If you can study online, there is another excellent manual you can refer to. <a href="http://tldp.org/LDP/GNU-Linux-Tools-Summary/html/index.html">Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference</a> (<a href="http://ubuntupocketguide.com/download_main.html">Download</a>) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN3xdCsIPh_Y1EHKmLLC5UCHCOrbF4z-7EgDquM-oJLMvFvkIxq6hSVNZSunrl4BP75MPRrDU6J3GPJN_uFENioizxB-dbE1crEUIjbxQGzFIrIU0PjCyUjeEmzfKdzuTXsTwSLKC-nI/s1600/ubuntuprg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN3xdCsIPh_Y1EHKmLLC5UCHCOrbF4z-7EgDquM-oJLMvFvkIxq6hSVNZSunrl4BP75MPRrDU6J3GPJN_uFENioizxB-dbE1crEUIjbxQGzFIrIU0PjCyUjeEmzfKdzuTXsTwSLKC-nI/s1600/ubuntuprg.png" /></a></div> Ubuntu is one of the most popular distributions, new users look up to when trying out Linux. If it is Ubuntu specific information that you are after then you should definitely check out Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference. The guide takes you from installing and configuring Ubuntu to adding and managing software and securing your system. A must read book if you use Ubuntu. <a href="http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz">Rute User’s Tutorial and Exposition</a> (<a href="http://www.icon.co.za/%7Epsheer/rute.pdf.bz2">Download</a>) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2gLnJLyZK5aHGQ49Wte1JJtxnUqMBVRaRkZnvZ17O82AIX08DrnBwhOgGQJcZqXG4CI_ypv8B7nHRNHdHfU-eEACyhUtoUjq8AjBSCYhLltJq3RxcFQDE3LQzJXKYgkN3DSNouDCKB4/s1600/rute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2gLnJLyZK5aHGQ49Wte1JJtxnUqMBVRaRkZnvZ17O82AIX08DrnBwhOgGQJcZqXG4CI_ypv8B7nHRNHdHfU-eEACyhUtoUjq8AjBSCYhLltJq3RxcFQDE3LQzJXKYgkN3DSNouDCKB4/s1600/rute.jpg" /></a></div> This one is not for the faint hearted! There is enough Linux juice in this book to keep even the intermediate to advanced users interested. The book begins humbly by presenting the basic commands and tools, however before you know it, you are learning everything from regular expressions to shell scripting to C programming to networking. There is plenty of great material out there if you are trying to learn Linux, similar to these downloadable ebooks to teach yourself everything you ever wanted to know about Linux. If you have read a book or a tutorial that you found particularly useful, feel free to tell us about it in the comments below.

4 Powerful Downloadable eBooks To Teach Yourself Linux ~FREE~

Am sure you've heard of all the advantages and geeky babble about how Linux is better and you have finally decided to try it? Just one ...

How To Enable IPv6 On Windows XP

Most ISPs are in the process of enabling the IPv6 protocol which is then available for usage in addition to the currently used IPv4 protocol. Windows Vista and Windows 7 users do not need to enable or configure their operating system for IPv6 usage as it is enabled by default. The situation is different for Windows XP users who need to install the IPv6 protocol to add support for it to the operating system. It is probably a good idea to test if IPv6 is already available on the operating system. An easy option to find out is the ipconfig command which displays network information in a command line window. To run the command press Windows-R, type cmd and hit enter. This opens the Windows command prompt. Now use the command ipconfig to find out if IPv6 is available on the computer. Please note that the following screenshot is showing ipconfig on Windows 7. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vCZrNFtNkLceLJFEAwq7qX4ZOLDVYr4KnTzDXQmc2SeK6p7fJR3DCHwKsQpvCSJ2ealfsDl9EhOV5UudQ3A-ql-FxTLzIjTqkpQf69weB0oTQ16W-XPKcwjMfQoLFkw3RR5WPgnWBuY/s1600/ipv6-protocol-550x402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vCZrNFtNkLceLJFEAwq7qX4ZOLDVYr4KnTzDXQmc2SeK6p7fJR3DCHwKsQpvCSJ2ealfsDl9EhOV5UudQ3A-ql-FxTLzIjTqkpQf69weB0oTQ16W-XPKcwjMfQoLFkw3RR5WPgnWBuY/s1600/ipv6-protocol-550x402.jpg" /></a></div> If you do not see an entry IPv6 Address in the listing it is not enabled and needs to be installed. The easiest way to install the IPv6 protocol under Windows XP is from the command prompt. Enter the following commands separately and press return after each of them: <ul><li>netsh</li><li>interface</li><li>ipv6</li><li>install</li></ul>This installs IPv6 under Windows XP. It is also possible to install the protocol under the network settings options of the Control Panel. Right-click on the appropriate network adapter and select Preferences from the selection. Now select Install on the screen and then Protocol from the available options. Locate Microsoft TCP/IP Version 6, a click on OK installs the selected protocol. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuil4czNbBaMShgtN7rZEwZWfuDA9a6y9vekTLdP0oBlB3VUnwielwh-oF0KpKyvUDaAh2FVs7PUDLUS-Fzq4LlB3SShdR3Lp8AAKCIDTExvcnmDeEWfYC8Jon9YtZ3YCx-YvkORJwPU/s1600/install-ipv6-windows-xp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuil4czNbBaMShgtN7rZEwZWfuDA9a6y9vekTLdP0oBlB3VUnwielwh-oF0KpKyvUDaAh2FVs7PUDLUS-Fzq4LlB3SShdR3Lp8AAKCIDTExvcnmDeEWfYC8Jon9YtZ3YCx-YvkORJwPU/s1600/install-ipv6-windows-xp.jpg" /></a></div><ol><li>Open Network Connections</li><li>Right-click any local area connection, and then click Properties.</li><li>Click Install.</li><li>In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click Protocol, and then click Add.</li><li>In the Select Network Protocol dialog box, click Microsoft TCP/IP version 6, and then click OK.</li><li>Click Close to save changes to your network connection. </li></ol>You can check again with the ipconfig command to make sure that the IPv6 protocol was installed successfully on the operating system.

How To Enable IPv6 On Windows XP

Most ISPs are in the process of enabling the IPv6 protocol which is then available for usage in addition to the currently used IPv4 protocol...